Pope Francis on Wednesday met with victims of clerical sexual abuse, as he began a five-day visit to Portugal for a major Catholic youth festival.
The 86-year-old pontiff had earlier said that the "anguished cry" of sexual abuse victims must be heard, six months after a report into the abuse that shook Portugal.
Francis was welcomed with military honors in Lisbon, where one million pilgrims from around the world are expected to take part in World Youth Day festivities.
The event – a week of religious, cultural and festive events held about every three years in a different city – comes as the Church reflects on its future and grapples with priest pedophilia scandals.
A report released in February in Portugal by an independent commission concluded that at least 4,815 children had been abused by clergy members, mostly priests, in the country since 1950.
The inquiry – similar to audits elsewhere in Europe and the Americas – concluded that the Church hierarchy "systematically" tried to conceal the abuse.
In an address to the clergy at Lisbon's vast Jeronimos Monastery, the pontiff said the sex abuse scandals had "marred" the Church and sparked "disappointment and anger".
These scandals "call us to a humble and ongoing purification, starting with the anguished cry of the victims, who must always be accepted and listened to," he added.
'Intense listening'
"The meeting was held in an atmosphere of intense listening and lasted more than an hour," it added.
(AFP)
