KNOCK, IRELAND—Pope Francis issued a sweeping apology Sunday for the “crimes” of the Catholic Church in Ireland, saying church officials regularly didn’t respond with compassion to the many abuses children and women suffered over the years and vowing to work for justice. Francis was interrupted by applause as he read the apology out loud at the start of Mass in Dublin’s Phoenix Park. Pope Francis leads the Angelus at the Drum Crescent, Knock, County Mayo on Aug. 26 on the second day of his visit to Ireland to attend the 2018 World Meeting of Families. The abuse scandal has devastated the church’s reputation in Ireland since the 1990s and has exploded anew in the United States. Pope Francis said at the start of a visit to Ireland on Saturday that he shares the outrage of rank-and-file Catholics over the failure of church authorities to punish the "repugnant crimes" of priests who raped and molested children.

Source: thestar August 26, 2018 14:16 UTC