The Pope “expressed shame for what they suffered at the hands of priests”

Vatican told journalists that at the apostolic nunciature in the capital Belgium the pope met with 17 people who were victims of abuse by clergy.

The meeting lasted over two hours, and during it, as noted in the statement, its participants presented Francis “their history and pain and expressed their expectations regarding the Church's commitment against abuse.”

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The pope “was able to listen and draw close to their suffering” and “expressed gratitude for their courage and also expressed shame for what they suffered as children at the hands of the priests to whom they were entrusted,” the Vatican statement said.

Francis, it was added, wrote down the requests addressed to him in order to study them.

This morning, in a speech delivered in the presence of the Belgian royal couple and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo at Laeken Castle, the pope said, referring to the pedophilia scandal: “This is a scourge against which the Church is fighting with determination and firmness, accompanying and listening to wounded people, and implementing a wide-ranging prevention program around the world.

Francis declared: “This is a shame; a shame that we must all take into our own hands, ask for forgiveness and solve the problem.” “The Church must be ashamed, ask for forgiveness and try to resolve this situation with Christian humility,” the pope added.

He admitted: “This is our shame and our humiliation.”

Belgium is one of the countries where the pedophilia scandal in the Church has reached serious proportions and has been the subject of the work of a special commission. Her report caused shock due to the scale of abuses and their cover-up.