Pope Francis, in a meeting with U.S. bishops Saturday morning, promised to hold those responsible for clerical sex abuse accountable.

The pontiff announced he'd met with a group of sex abuse survivors Sunday, his final day in Philadelphia and the United states.

The Pope also said he'd create a new Vatican tribunal to prosecute bishops who failed to protect their flocks by covering up for pedophile priests rather than reporting them to police.

The Pope said he had "in my heart these stories of suffering of those youth that were sexually abused, and it continues to be on my mind that people who had the responsibility to take care of these tender ones violated that trust and caused them great pain."

"God weeps for the sexual abuse of children," he said. "These cannot be maintained in secret, and I commit to a careful oversight to ensure that youth are protected and that all responsible will be held accountable."

A Vatican spokesman said the three women and two men met with the pope for a half hour at the St. Charles Borromeo seminary Sunday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report


 


 


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