The visit was originally intended to celebrate Catholic families but has been overshadowed by the renewed abuse crisis. Francis sought to respond to the outcry by vowing to end sex abuse, during a speech to Irish government authorities at Dublin Castle. - Pope FrancisHe cited measures taken by his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, to respond to the crisis. Ireland has had one of the world's worst records of clergy sex abuse — crimes that were revealed to its 4.8 million people over the past decade by government-mandated inquiries. After the Irish church enacted tough new norms to fight abuse, it had been looking to the first visit by a pope in 39 years to show a different, more caring church.

Source: CBC News August 25, 2018 21:11 UTC