After Criticism, Pope Francis Confronts Priestly s*xual Abuse

PHILADELPHIA — At the start of an otherwise joyous and well-received trip to the United States, Pope Francis infuriated some abuse victims when he praised American bishops for their handling of the s*xual abuse scandal and told priests that he felt their pain. On the last day of his journey, Francis stepped to a lectern here before hundreds of seminarians and bishops from around the world and tried to salve the open wound. He said he had met in private with a group of victims and pledged that “all responsible will be held accountable.” “God weeps” at the s*xual abuse of children, he said in a translation from Spanish of his remarks added to the start of a scripted address in the chapel at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary here on Sunday. “I commit to the careful oversight to ensure that youth are protected.” His remarks and the meeting, anticipated for weeks and carefully choreographed, were greeted with varying degrees of skepticism by abuse victims who have now seen two popes on American trips meet with victims and make sweeping promises to protect children. They would like to believe that Francis’ words are sincere and pledges are real, but they continue to have serious doubts, in part because of his comments last week, and because of how Sunday’s gathering came together. ...