Pope Francis meets with Church pederasty victims in Lisbon
On his first day in Lisbon for World Youth Day (WYD), Pope Francis met Wednesday with victims of child sex abuse by members of the Portuguese clergy, six months after a damning report on the country's Church.
"Pope Francis received at the Nunciature a group of 13 people, victims of abuse by members of the clergy," the Vatican announced earlier this evening.
"The meeting took place in an atmosphere of intense listening and lasted more than an hour," the Holy See said in a brief statement.
Earlier in the day, during an address to the Portuguese ecclesiastical hierarchy, the Argentine pontiff had referred to "the disillusionment and anger that some people nourish in relation to the Church, in some cases because of our bad witness and the scandals that have disfigured its face".
These incidents, he said, "call for a humble and constant purification, starting from the cry of pain of the victims, who must always be welcomed and listened to".
In February, a report commissioned by the Portuguese bishops' conference, but carried out by a commission of independent experts, revealed that at least 4,815 minors had been sexually abused in a religious context since 1950. These assaults were "systematically" covered up by the ecclesiastical leadership, according to the document.
"This meeting of the Holy Father represents the confirmation of the path of reconciliation that the Church in Portugal is following in this area," said the Bishops' Conference of Portugal, where 80 per cent of the country's 10 million inhabitants define themselves as Catholics.
"Bridges"
In his first address to Portuguese political authorities and the diplomatic corps, the Pope called on Europe to be a "builder of bridges" for peace in Ukraine.
"Looking with sincere affection at Europe, in the spirit of dialogue that characterises it, we would spontaneously ask it: where are you sailing to, if you do not offer peace processes, creative ways to put an end to the war in Ukraine and to so many conflicts that bloody the world?", Jorge Bergoglio questioned.
"The world needs Europe, the true Europe; it needs its role as a builder of bridges and peace," said the pontiff, who repeatedly called for an end to the conflict that was sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The 86-year-old Argentine Jesuit had been received with military honours after landing in the morning in the Portuguese capital, where around one million young Catholics from all over the world are expected until Sunday.
The busy five-day schedule for Francis, who underwent abdominal surgery two months ago, began with a meeting with Portugal's conservative President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa at Belém Palace.
Nearby, hundreds of young pilgrims had been waiting for him since early morning, beating their drums and chanting "This is the Pope's youth".
"The Pope is a very special person because he is changing the doctrine of the church, but for the better," said Maria Alvarez, a 45-year-old pilgrim from Spain.
"The difference with other popes is that he is Latin American," said Samuel Namaver, a 17-year-old student from the United States. "He likes contact, jokes, makes a lot of references to football (...) He knows how to touch our hearts," he added.
WYD territory
Over the last few days, the Portuguese capital has been filling up with colourful groups of young people, who have come from all continents to take part in this week of festive, cultural and spiritual encounters.
The opening mass - celebrated on Tuesday, still without Francis - brought together 200,000 pilgrims in a city park, according to the Portuguese police. The pontiff's first mass meeting with young people will take place on Thursday evening at a ceremony in the same place, which could be attended by 750,000 faithful, according to projections by local authorities.
Less than two months before the start of an assembly in Rome that will address the future of the Church, WYD will act as a barometer of the position of young Catholics on issues such as the treatment of LGBT+ people, the marriage of priests and the position of women.
Considered the largest international gathering of Catholics, WYD was created in 1986 at the initiative of John Paul II.
After those held in Rio de Janeiro (2013), Krakow (2016) and Panama (2019), this edition, which had to be postponed for a year because of the pandemic, is Francis' fourth WYD.