Lisbon, August 4 (RHC)-- Pope Francis has met with survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic Church clergy during a trip to Lisbon, Portugal. The visit comes in the wake of a report which found priests and other church officials in Portugal likely abused 5,000 children or more since 1950.
Pope Francis has called out Portugal’s Catholic leaders for their inaction and dismissal of the survivors, and said the church needed “purification” from a string of child abuse scandals.
Pope Francis told reporters: “They call for a humble and constant purification, starting from the cry of pain of the victims, always to welcome and listen.”
