Pope Francis Weeps With Sex Abuse Victims as Protests Continue in Chile

Greg Burke, the spokesman, said the pope met with “a small group of victims of sexual abuse by priests” at the apostolic nunciature in Santiago, Chile.

His lack of approval is largely attributed to a string of sexual abuse scandals.

In 2015, numerous country’s Catholics were angered by the Pope’s decision to appoint a bishop who had been one of Karadima’s followers to the southern city of Oserno.

The pope has been criticized for elevating Father Barros to bishop in 2015 despite being aware of the allegations against him. Karadima was found guilty of abusing teenage boys over mny years.

A Vatican press release said Pope Francis had been following the investigation for several years and insisted that the church give attention to the matter, taking control of the group on 10 January.

In a letter obtained by the news agency, bishops expressed concern about Francis naming Barros as a replacement.

The Vatican said the pope and eight Mapuche were joined by a woman the Vatican described as a “victim of rural violence” as well as a descendant of the German-Swiss colonizers who clashed for centuries with the Mapuche. “Chile, our home, is open to our friend”.

Despite the jovial atmosphere at outside La Moneda, there were serious signs of protest in Santiago.

INSKEEP: How has the scandal affected the reception of the pope so far?

Grown-ups, the pope told the youth, tend to contemptuously say “they will grow up”, but what they really mean is, “they will be corrupted”.

“The next bombs will be in your cassock”, read pamphlets found outside one of the churches.

However, she revealed that she communicated with the Pope by letter in 2016 to which he responded personally.

Many analysts see the growth and the future of the Catholic Church in what’s called the global south.

In Chile, a country that has been scarred by the abuses that have caused tension and protests even up to and during the visit, Pope Francis asked forgiveness for these acts and appealed that “every effort” be done to help victims and to ensure that “such things do not happen again”.

The pope has previously declared a “zero tolerance” policy for clerical sexual abuse, moved to discipline pedophile priests and enacted guidelines to protect children.

The last papal pilgrimage to Chile was in 1987, when Pope John Paul II sought to heal deep rifts in a society still ruled by the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.

“It would seem that with this [idea], that ‘they will mature, ‘ we adults throw a cold blanket on top of you to shut you up”, he said, speaking from his prepared remarks and adding extemporaneous thoughts here and there.

Earlier, he said in his speech to officials that indigenous peoples “can make a great contribution” to the environmental protection of the planet. “In this way, you have been able to consolidate and confirm the dream of your founding fathers”, the Pope said. After the service, Francis was to have lunch with a few indigenous representatives.

Pope Francis asked everyone to overcome their differences.

“We can learn from them that there is no true development in a population that turns its back on the earth and everyone and everything around it”, he said.