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Pope Francis at mass at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Andrew Medichini/AP/Press Association Images

Pope Francis asks for forgiveness after first meeting with abuse survivors

After meeting two Irish survivors, the Pontiff condemned “execrable acts of abuse.”

POPE FRANCIS HAS asked for forgiveness from survivors of clerical sex abuse who met with him today in the Vatican for the first time.

In a homily delivered after meeting privately with six survivors – including two from Ireland – Pope Francis condemned the “execrable acts of abuse” committed by Catholic clergy.

“Before God and his people I express my sorrow for the sins and grave crimes of clerical sexual abuse committed against you. And I humbly ask forgiveness,” he said during a mass attended by abuse survivors, according to an official Vatican transcript.

Addressing what he called the “life long scars” of abuse, the Pontiff acknowledged the despair, addiction, difficult relationships, and suicide brought on by the “more than despicable actions” of abusers.

He thanked the survivors for speaking up and shedding light on “a terrible darkness in the life of the Church,” before condemning those culpable for the abuse, as well as those who “did not respond adequately to reports of abuse”.

Some priests and bishops, by sexually abusing minors, violated their innocence and their own priestly vocation…They profane the very image of God in whose likeness we were created…All bishops must carry out their pastoral ministry with the utmost care in order to help foster the protection of minors, and they will be held accountable.

The mass came after Pope Francis had earlier hosted, for the first time, an official meeting with six survivors of clerical sex abuse – two Irish, two British and two German.

Marie Kane, from Bray, Co. Wicklow was joined by an Irish man – another abuse survivor – as well as Marie Collins, herself an abuse survivor and campaigner with One In Four, who was recently appointed to the Vatican’s commission for the protection of minors.

Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’ Malley was also present at the meeting in the Pope’s private guesthouse.

Abuse survivor Marie Collins added to Vatican commission to protect children>

The Pope has excommunicated the mafia from the Catholic Church>

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49 Comments
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    Mute lavbeer
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 1:43 PM

    It’s hard to believe that the author didn’t mention that pro independent parties between them were a couple of percent short of 50%.

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    Mute Skinnerbot
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 4:26 PM

    @lavbeer: did they not take 70 out of 135 seats? Which is 52% of the seats by my maths?

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    Mute lavbeer
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 4:48 PM

    @Skinnerbot: yes this wasn’t a referendum – but a popular vote wouldn’t have been passed. More voted for non-independence parties. The article unless the author was pushing an agenda should have stated such a basic fact. Imho- I am no expert.

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    Mute Skinnerbot
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 4:56 PM

    @lavbeer: same with trump no? It’s quite trivial in a way given it led to 52% of the seats. Only 1 in every 3 votes agree with Fine Gaels policies here, funny thing democracy

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    Mute lavbeer
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 10:15 PM

    @Skinnerbot: true enough but if it was a referendum it wouldn’t have carried.

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    Mute lavbeer
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    Dec 23rd 2017, 6:18 AM

    @Declan Hegarty: bottom line is that three pro independence parties got 47.5 of the vote a few months after getting over 90 in a referendum that SF didn’t call out as being flawed (other than the actions of the Spanish police). Did they miss something?

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    Mute Donal Hanley
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    Dec 24th 2017, 12:28 PM

    @lavbeer:
    The headline is not just misleading. It is incorrect.

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 1:51 PM

    Without a change to the Spanish Constitution, Catalonia could a popular vote of 100% for independence and legally it would mean nothing. It would be like Cork voting unanimously to repeal the 8th amendment. Without a referenda the vote would not be legal. As in Spain any Constitutional changes require a national referendum.

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    Mute Seán Ó Briain
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 2:54 PM

    @Mick Jordan: Cork isn’t an autonomous region with its own parliament, language and culture. There is a precedent set for nationhood. Catalonia meets all of them.

    So your comparison to Cork is not remotely relevant.

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    Mute Thomas Harrington
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 3:03 PM

    @Seán Ó Briain: says you! Totally has its own language does Cork

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 3:11 PM

    @Seán Ó Briain: Cork has a County Council which is elected, it can pass local by-laws, can raise finances through rates etc so it is very relevant as it is nothing more than a smaller version of the Catalan Parliament,. Catalonia’s Parliament is subservient to the National Parliament in Madrid as are all the other regional governments in Spain. Catalonia agreed to and signed up to the Spanish Constitution and is now legally obliged to abide by that Constitution.

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    Mute Seán Ó Briain
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 3:46 PM

    @Mick Jordan: Cork County Council is not comparable to the levels of autonomy that the Catalan parliament had. Nor is Cork as an area comparable for a claim of statehood that Catalonia has.

    Scotland signed up the the union (albeit on questionable circumstances), and were still afforded a vote on independence. The UK had the courage to allow them one in the spirit of democracy. Spain doesn’t have similar levels of faith in its union.

    If the majority of the people in Catalonia aspire for independence, that desire should be acknowledge by the Spanish government.

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    Mute lavbeer
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 4:20 PM

    @Seán Ó Briain: Catalonia signed up to this constitution only 40 years ago. And the result clearly shows there isn’t an overall desire to break off. Gunther and his ilk need to step back and start convincing their own people and get a 60-65 which would give them a platform. The 90% “referendum”‘was shown as a farce – endorsed by the SF people on the ground also.

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 4:33 PM

    @Seán Ó Briain: What claim of Statehood does Catalonia have. It was never a nation in its own right. It was previously an integral part of the Kingdom of Aragon, prior to that part of the Frankish kingdom of Charlemagne and before that a part of a Roman Frontier Provence. And now is an integral part of the Spanish State. In 1975 Catalans agreed to and signed up to all the terms and conditions of the Spanish Constitution. And one of those conditions was that the Spanish State as it currently is, is indivisible. And now that some Catalans wish to change that, they must seek a change in the Spanish Constitution (that they are a signatory to) to legally allow cessation.

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    Mute Seán Ó Briain
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 4:49 PM

    @Mick Jordan: ” What claim of Statehood does Catalonia have.”

    What claim does any arbitrary piece of land and people have to statehood? Catalonia has its own language, its own parliament, its own culture – and the wish for the majority of the people living there to be independent.

    Borders are dynamic. They change over time. At present, the people within the recognised borders of the region of Catalonia wish to be independent. That’s a pretty valid claim. And if Spain actually had the courage to allow them a referendum without using political violence to crack down on them – we would be able to answer that question once and for all.

    This whole argument is going over your head. It’s a waste of time and energy to repeat it ad nauseum with you.

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 5:05 PM

    @Seán Ó Briain: It has its own Parliament because the Nation of Spain permits it to have it just as the Dail here permits County and City Councils. But they, as with the Catalonian Parliament are only there at the sufferance of the National Parliment. And the results of the vote are also clear 51.5% of the Popular vote was for Spanish Unity with the Independence Vote receiving 48.5%.

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    Mute @mdmak33
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 2:20 PM

    Independence vote has been justified,but like brexit,the EU elites will do their best to block it.

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    Mute lavbeer
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 2:28 PM

    @@mdmak33: justified by getting less than 50% ? How do you make that out?

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    Mute Thomas Harrington
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    Dec 23rd 2017, 8:35 AM

    @lavbeer: to be fair the main leaders of the Independence Party are locked up or in exile and the Spanish govt shut down pro independence newspapers and websites / so the result is an amazing one / viva Cataluyna!

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    Mute Fiona deFreyne
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 2:04 PM

    This referendum result may now enable sensible negotiations to commence.

    Any attempted secession lacks legitimacy. There is now good reason for each side to engage meaningfully with the other, mediated by a third party broker.

    There are degrees of autonomy. There is plenty of scope for a solution.

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 2:20 PM

    @Fiona deFreyne: Even if the Central Government wanted to allow Catalonian Independence, it is not legally in their power to grant it. It is a Constitutional issue. And that requires a national referendum to alter the part that states “All of Spain is indivisible”, to allow regions to ceceed. So Catalonian Independence is a pipe dream unless the Constitution is changed.

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    Mute Pat Cbar
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 7:11 PM

    @Mick Jordan: by that reckoning we should still be part of the UK.

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 8:25 PM

    @Pat Cbar: How do you make that out? We, Scotland, or Wales never agreed to or signed up to a UK constitution declaring that the UK is or was indivisible. Hence the Scottish Independence Referndum. When Ireland was part of the UK it was only so by a Parlimentry Act (Enacted by Henry VIII an English King) in which we Irish had no hand or act in. Catalonia on the other hand was an original part of the Kingdom of Aragon that United with the Kingdom of Castille to form what we now know as modern Spain. And after the death of Franco when a new constitution was being written with the input from every region of Spain, Catalonia agreed with and signed up to that new Consitution. Now that 48.5% of the Catalonian population desire independence does not negate the Constitution they signed.

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    Mute lavbeer
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 1:54 PM

    Did Puigdemont or Junqueras run in this election? 70 out of 135 maybe 68 if they can’t show – still a majority barely. The case for independence wasn’t confirmed despite actions of the police and Madrid government plus a high turnout. breathing space is needed. Maybe it’s time for reconciliation of some sort?

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    Mute lavbeer
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 4:49 PM

    @lavbeer: of anyone know?

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    Mute Anthony Byrne
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 2:00 PM

    This can only end badly.

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    Mute Stephen Maher
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 1:49 PM

    Separatists?

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    Mute Cian Omahony Snr
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    Dec 23rd 2017, 2:24 AM

    how can say this without being attacked..as a sports fan i love Barca..and i am trying to understand the whole situation from both sides ..but the leader says i demand the UN. Maybe i am totally wrong ,why not say ” I ask”does it alway have to be agressive speak…there is so much agression in the world..I am gettiing old and still naive to think that we can have a beautiful world ..maybe we can

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