Pope meets victims of clergy sex abuse, says 'God weeps' for them

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

US | Sun Sep 27, 2015 12:06pm EDT

Pope meets victims of clergy sex abuse, says 'God weeps' for them

PHILADELPHIA | BY SCOTT MALONE AND PHILIP PULLELLA

Pope Francis met on Sunday with five adults who were abused by Catholic clergy when they were children and vowed to hold responsible all involved in the crime or cover-ups.

While the pope has met with victims of sexual abuse in Rome, this was his first meeting with them on a foreign tour. Of the cities visited by Francis, who ends his six-day U.S. tour later in the day, Philadelphia has been the most publicly scarred in the U.S. clergy abuse scandal.

"I have in my heart these stories of suffering of those youth that were sexually abused," Francis told bishops.

"The people who had the responsibility to take care of these tender ones violated that trust and caused them great pain. God weeps for the sexual abuse of children."

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said that at the morning meeting in Philadelphia's seminary, the pope "expressed participation in their suffering and pain and shame."

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/27/us-pope-usa-idUSKCN0RP11X20150927

[Arugula Latte]

1. "God weeps for the sexual abuse of children."

So why doesn't his magical deity intervene and prevent abuse in the first place?

[rug]

2. Why are you asking a nonexistent entity to intervene?

Meanwhile, in the real world . . . .

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/27/pope-meets-with-sexual-abuse-victims-philadelphia

[Arugula Latte]

8. I said "his" deity.

It's his imaginary friend, not mine.

[rug]

9. "his" deity would also be nonexistent.

[Arugula Latte]

10. Of course. But he believes in it; yet he accepts this egregious behavior from his magical being.

Go figure.

[trotsky]

11. He can't because free will, so the story goes.

Never mind how the children's free will was violated when they got raped. That's different. Somehow.

[Arugula Latte]

12. Right ... it's all part of the Mysterious Ways ...

[Cartoonist]

3. The REAL world

Pope Francis’s words on clergy sex abuse ring hollow for some survivors

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/27/pope-francis-sex-abuse-scandal-survivors

[mr blur]

4. He's been just as proficient as his predecessors at covering them up, though.

Same shit, different hypocrite.

[merrily]

5. God had nothing to do with that shit, but the Church sure enabled it.

[msongs]

6. it's god's fault - everything is god's will nt

[goldent]

7. Very happy to see the Pope do this.

He was early criticized for not meeting with victims - was this planned in response to the criticism, or did his critics jump the gun?

edit to clarify