Please Forgive Us –– Pope Francis Cries Out Over Séxual Abuse In Catholic Church

While our brothers in the Pentecostal churches get angry whenever a randy pastor is exposed in the media, the man who is changing the face of religion around the world, Pope Francis, has come out to take responsibility for the shortcomings of his own pastors and also beg for forgiveness from all affected.

The one-of-a-kind Pope said he felt sad for the child séxual abuse scandals that have rocked the church and has thus issued an unprecedented apology:

"I feel compelled to personally take on all the evil which some priests, quite a few in number, obviously not compared to the number of all the priests, to personally ask for forgiveness for the damage they have done for having sexually abused children. 

"The Church is aware of this damage, it is personal, moral damage carried out by men of the Church, and we will not take one step backward with regards to how we will deal with this problem, and the sanctions that must be imposed."

He said this during a meeting with the International Catholic Child Bureau, a non-governmental organization.

Francis also stressed that children have to be protected against all forms of violence, including slave labour and enrollment in child armies, and given the right "to grow up in a family with a father and a mother."

culled from olufamous