Pope asks forgiveness for 'irreparable harm' caused by clergy sex abuse of children

Pope Francis met with survivors of clergy sex abuse in Chile on Tuesday and begged forgiveness for the "irreparable damage" they suffered.

Vatican spokesman Greg Burke told reporters on Tuesday that Francis met with a small group of abuse victims on his first full day in the nation's capital of Santiago after lunch. The spokesman declined to provide further details other than to say the pontiff "listened to them, prayed with them and wept with them."

Burke said that the pope also acknowledged the "pain" of priests who collectively bore the responsibility of the crimes of a few.

Earlier that day, the pope told Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and other government officials that he felt "bound to express my pain and shame" for the sexual abuse suffered by children in the care of Chile's clergy.

"I am one with my brother bishops, for it is right to ask forgiveness and make every effort to support the victims, even as we commit ourselves to ensuring that such things do not happen again," the pope said, as reported by the Associated Press.

The pontiff did not mention Chile's most notorious pedophile priest, the Rev. Fernando Karadima, who was defrocked in 2011 and sanctioned to a lifetime of "penance and prayer" for sexually molesting minors.

Victims publicly accused Karadima of sexual abuse in 2010 after complaining to church authorities for years that the priest had kissed and fondled them when they were teenagers.

Many Chileans have expressed outrage over Francis' decision in 2015 to appoint Karadima's protege as bishop of the southern city of Osorno. The appointment of Bishop Juan Barros has badly split the diocese, although he denies knowing about Karadima's abuse.

Later that day, Francis referred to the scandal in Santiago's cathedral, but he directed his words to the hundreds of priests, who have seen their influence and moral authority plummet because of Karadima's abuse and the subsequent cover-up by the church.

The pontiff stressed that he knows the pain of priests and nuns "who after working so hard, have seen the harm that has led to suspicion and questioning; in some or many of you this has been a source of doubt, fear or lack of confidence."

Francis' visit has been met with an anti-pope protest, prompting the police to use tear gas and water cannons to break up the demonstrations outside the pontiff's big open-air Mass in Santiago.

Just days before the pope's arrival, three Catholic churches were bombed in Santiago, and a fourth explosive was prevented from detonating in another church.

In one of the bombed churches, the perpetrators left a direct threat to the Pope, saying the next bombs would be "in your cassock."

Despite the incidents, many Chileans still turned out to see the pontiff, including an estimated 400,000 who attended his Mass.