Pope Francis admits Church abuse 'shame and pain' on Ireland visit
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Pope Francis speaking in St Patricks Hall in Dublin Castle in Dublin on August 25, 2018, during his visit to Ireland to attend the 2018 World Meeting of Families. PHOTO: OSSERVATORE ROMANO| AFP
DUBLIN
Pope Francis said he shared in the "shame and pain" of the Catholic Church's "failure" to deal with years of sexual abuse scandals as he began a historic two-day visit to Ireland on Saturday.
"The failure of ecclesiastical authorities... to address these repellent crimes has rightly given rise to outrage and remains a source of pain and shame for the Catholic community. I myself share those sentiments," he said, standing next to Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.