Pope Francis Finally Met with Sex Abuse Survivors But More Action Is Critical, Activists Say
Sarah Pulliam Bailey, Abby Ohlheiser and Terrence McCoy of The Washington Post report that Pope Francis, on his last day in the United States, met privately with five survivors of sexual abuse. Before the meeting, the pontiff faced criticism for previous comments which praised church leaders “for bearing up under the sexual abuse crisis,” instead of focusing on the suffering of the victims. “It continues to overwhelm me with shame that the people who were charged with taking care of these tender ones violated their trust and caused them tremendous pain,” Francis said.