Pope Francis began receiving Chilean bishops at the Vatican today in a bid to address a child abuse scandal within the Church in Chile that has come to haunt his papacy.
The 34 bishops, three of whom are already retired, are to hold private and group meetings with the Argentine pontiff between Tuesday and Thursday. "Firstly, we want to share our pain and shame," said Bishop Fernando Ramos, a spokesman for the Chilean delegation.
"Pain because there are victims of sex abuse, and shame because these abuses occurred within the Church," he told reporters.
The visit comes two weeks after Francis held private meetings with three victims of Chilean paedophile priest Fernando Karadima, and promised to adopt "adequate and lasting" measures to stop child sex abuse within the Catholic church.
Karadima was forced into retirement in 2011 after eventually being found by the Holy See to have been a serial abuser of minors during the 1980s and 1990s.
Controversial cardinal Javier Errazuriz, a key advisor to Francis, was also summoned as part of the Chilean delegation at the pontiff's request.
Errazuriz is accused by Karadima's victims of ignoring and helping to cover up the abuses committed by Karadima.
In a statement, the Vatican said Francis believed it was "necessary to examine in depth the causes and consequences, as well as the mechanisms that have led, in certain cases, to concealment and serious omissions towards the victims."
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