Pope begs for sex abuse forgiveness

POPE FRANCIS has promised to hold bishops accountable for the protection of minors and begged forgiveness from the victims of clergy sex abuse during his first meeting with survivors.

The pope celebrated a Mass with six survivors at his Vatican hotel yesterday but in his homily he did not spell out whether that accountability would include firing bishops and other prelates who shuffled paedophile priests between parishes to avoid bringing shame upon the Catholic Church.

Victims’ advocacy groups around the world have pressed the Vatican for decades to severely discipline any complicit church hierarchy.

One of the six, Irish woman Marie Kane, 43, said she asked Francis to remove an Irish cardinal, Sean Brady, from his post because of how he handled abuse allegations.

Ms Kane told The Irish Times that she told Francis a “cover- up is still happening” and he has “the power to make these changes”.

She said he replied that “it was difficult to make these changes”.

Francis has been criticised by survivor advocates for how he handled abuse cases as archbishop of Buenos Aires, including not meeting victims.

Even while the Pope spent his morning with the three men and three women, listening to their stories one by one, several victims’ groups blasted the meetings as “a PR event”.

Pope Francis.