VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis said Friday he took personal responsibility for the “evil” of priests who raped and molested children, asking forgiveness from victims and saying the church must be bolder in its efforts to protect the young.
It was the first time a pope has taken personal responsibility for the sex crimes of his priests and begged forgiveness.
“I feel compelled to take personal responsibility for all the evil that some priests, many — many in number, (although) not in comparison with the totality — to assume personal responsibility and to ask forgiveness for the damage caused by the sexual abuse of the children,” he said in comments to the International Catholic Child Bureau, a French Catholic network of organizations that protects children’s rights.
His off-the-cuff remarks were the latest sign that he has become sensitized to the gravity of the abuse scandal. The Associated Press
