Pope Francis says he mishandled a sex abuse scandal in Chile and summoned the country's bishops. To ask their forgiveness, he also invited victims whom he had once discredited to visit Rome.
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Pope admits he made 'grave errors' in child abuse scandal
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Pope Francis expressed "shame" for his handling of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in Chile and asked for forgiveness from victims whom he'd previously dismissed, according to a letter released by the Vatican on Wednesday.
Francis is attempting to quell outcry following his defense of Chilean Bishop Juan Barros, who is accused of witnessing and covering up sexual abuse by a pedophile priest.
"I have fallen in grave errors of judgment and perception of the situation, especially due to the lack of truthful and balanced information," Francis wrote.
Francis summoned 32 Chilean bishops for a meeting in Rome to discuss the results of an investigation into the sex abuse scandal.
"From now on I ask forgiveness of all those I offended and I hope to be able to do it personally in the coming weeks," he wrote, inviting victims to come to Rome to meet with him.
He did not specifically mention Barros in the letter, but said that much needs to be done to reform the Roman Catholic Church in Chile and restore confidence.
Since becoming pope in 2013, Francis has tried to reform the Catholic Church by preaching and exemplifying humility. Some have applauded him for his efforts, while others have hurled criticism.
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'Buona sera!'
On March 13, 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio greeted the crowd in St. Peter's Square in the heart of Rome with a simple "good evening!" moments after the Conclave had selected him as the new pope. He thus began his term with a down-to-earth tone that has marked his stewardship of the Catholic Church ever since.
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Reform committee 'K9'
The new pontiff immediately tackled topics that the Catholic Church had been discussing before his election. He set up a nine-person cardinal conference to reform the church's organization and direction. The guiding principle: the Roman Catholic Church is not an end in itself. Instead, it should seek to spread the teachings of the Bible and bring the Vatican and its followers closer together.
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Supporting the weak
The deaths of migrants crossing from Africa to Europe are "a thorn in the heart," said Pope Francis on his first bridge building trip to Lampedusa. At the time of his visit in the summer of 2013, thousands of migrants were on the Italian island hoping to receive legal permits to continue their journey onto the European mainland.
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Symbol of humility
It aligned perfectly with his own message of the "poor church:" the picture of Pope Francis with the 30-year-old Renault 4 that he had received as a gift from a pastor in Verona. Francis reportedly wanted to drive the car, but was not allowed to due to security concerns. The symbol of modesty has endured.
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Francis the celebrity
Francis' worldly style quickly made him an icon for progressive Catholics and other Christians. Even non-Christians applauded the pope and rubbed their eyes in amazement at the contrast between Francis and his conservative and academic predecessor, Pope Benedict. After 10 months in office, Francis became the first pope to make the cover of "Rolling Stone" magazine.
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Controversial bridge builder
Francis takes his task as bridge builder very seriously. He has acted as a mediator between warring parties in civil conflicts in central Africa and Colombia and also helped bring an end to frozen relations between the US and Cuba. With an eye toward the Mexican-US border, he has also urged US President Donald Trump to build bridges rather than walls.
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Believers and religions from all corners of the earth
Francis has also tried to build bridges between confessions and religions. He prayed at the wailing wall in Jerusalem and met the Grand Mufti Mohammad Hussein. In Egypt, he visited the head of the Coptic Church, Tawadros II, and Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb. In Myanmar, he spoke to Buddhist monks and in Havanna, he met with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kyrill I (pictured).
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People person
Francis spontaneously wed a couple on an airplane during a trip to Chile in January 2018. The two crew members were traveling with the pope on a flight from the capital Santiago to the northern city of Iquique. They had apparently told Francis of their plans to marry.
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Criticism from within the church
Francis' reform course has been too radical for some clerics. This poster in Rome accused Francis of showing no mercy within the church. He reportedly also has little time for dissent within the Vatican. Some church members think his course is too secular, his humility too bold, its display too media-orientated. The essence of religiosity – spirituality – some fear, could get lost in it all.
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Sexual abuse scandal in the Church
But the major challenge now faced by Francis is the problem of sexual abuse, including of minors, by church representatives. In January, the pontiff was heavily criticized for supporting Chilean Bishop Juan Barros (pictured right), accused of an abuse cover-up. On a recent trip to Ireland, the pope begged for forgiveness amid an abuse scandal there. But critics say much more is needed.
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How did Chileans respond? Parishioners and priests in the southern Chilean city of Osorno, where Barros was appointed as a bishop, said in a statement that they accepted Francis' plea for forgiveness. However, they said Barros would need to resign in order for them to regain trust in the church.
Chile's church abuse scandal: Barros is accused of covering up and even witnessing abuse carried out by priest Fernando Karadima in the 1980s and 1990s. Karadima was convicted by the Vatican in 2011 of sexually abusing minors and sentenced to a life of penitence and prayer. Civil charges were dismissed for a stated lack of evidence.
Emergency meeting with bishops: Such emergency meetings with bishops at the Vatican are rare. US bishops were summoned in 2002 after the sex abuse scandal erupted in the United States. Irish bishops were also rebuked in a meeting in 2013 for their mishandling of abuse cases.
Rome summit: The Chilean bishops are scheduled to meet with Francis in May to discuss a 2,300-page report on the scandal that included testimony from 64 people.
