Pope Francis apologizes for 'slander' comments against Chilean abuse victims

Pope Francis has issued an apology for his recent remarks suggesting that those who have accused a Chilean bishop of covering up sexual abuse of minors were guilty of slander.

During his trip to Chile last week, the pope met personally with victims of sexual abuse and said that he was ashamed about the clerical misconduct. But the pontiff shocked Chileans when he suggested that some victims were guilty of slander for accusing a bishop of covering up the abuse committed by former Santiago priest Rev. Fernando Karadima.

The victims have alleged that Bishop Juan Barros knew about the abuses by Karadima but did nothing to stop it. Barros denied the allegations and Francis defended him, saying there was no "proof" about any cover-up.

"The day they bring me proof against Bishop Barros, I'll speak," Francis told reporters in the northern city of Iquique, according to the Associated Press. "There is not one shred of proof against him. It's all calumny. Is that clear?" he went on to say.

Francis' remarks drew widespread criticism, prompting U.S. Cardinal Sean O'Malley to issue a statement rebuking the pontiff.

O'Malley, the archbishop of Boston and the pope's top advisor on clergy sexual abuse said that Francis' words were a "source of great pain for survivors," who were left in "discredited exile." However, the cardinal maintained that the pope "fully recognizes the egregious failures of the church and its clergy who abused children and the devastating impact those crimes have had on survivors and their loved ones."

Last Sunday, the pope issued an apology for his remarks during his flight from Lima, Peru to Rome. "Here I have to apologize because the word 'proof' hurt them, it hurt a lot of abused people," the pope told reporters aboard the papal plane.

"I know how much they suffer. And to hear that the pope told them to their face that they need to bring a letter with proof? It's a slap in the face," he added.

However, the pontiff still defended Barros, saying he believes that the bishop was not guilty and that he had no intention of removing him from his post as the head of the Osorno diocese. He contended that there was no sufficient "evidence to condemn the bishop or remove him from his post.

Barros, who was appointed to head the diocese in 2015, had previously served as bishop of the Chilean armed forces. He had repeatedly denied that he covered up sexual abuse by Karadima, his onetime mentor who became known as Chile's most notorious pedophile cleric.

The Vatican had sentenced Karadima to a lifetime of penance and prayer in 2011 after learning about the abuses, but the priest was never prosecuted criminally.