"God cries," says Pope of covering up the sexual abuse of children in the Church

Vatican creates tribunal to prosecute bishops who cover up cases; Pope had been criticized for ignoring the victims

Francisco pope met on Sunday (27), the last day of visit to the United States, with victims of sexual abuse by priests and vowed to hold accountable those involved in the scandal, a powerful warning to American bishops accused of covering up pedophile instead of deliver them to the police.


The pontiff made the gesture of reconciliation at the start of a meeting with US bishops who went to Philadelphia for a big meeting with Catholic families.


Pope at an event in Philadelphia: Vatican will create court to punish bishops who acobertem pedophiles



Francisco called the victims "true heralds of mercy" who deserve the gratitude of the Church and said that sexual abuse in the institution can no longer be kept secret. He promised to protect "zealously" young people and ensure that "all those involved accountable."

"God weeps because the sexual abuse of children can not be kept secret, and I commit myself to careful monitoring to ensure that youth are protected and that everyone involved be held accountable," the Pope said in Spanish.

The pope agreed to create a new Vatican tribunal to prosecute bishops who fail to protect their flocks to covering up pedophile priests.

Earlier this week, victim support groups accused Francis of neglecting their claims by praising the bishops for their response "bold" and generous to the scandal.

On Sunday, he directed attention to the victims in a city hit by scandal. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia was the target of several investigations, and Monsignor was convicted of endangering children to not remove pedophile priests becoming the first member of the Church in the United States to be punished for such a crime.


Nun is inspected when arriving for Mass the Pope in Philadelphia 1 million are expected


Sunday's meeting took place a day after the pope a Mass with Justin Rigali, the cardinal who was archbishop of Philadelphia when the archdiocese was accused of covering up pedophile.
The meeting with victims was the second of its kind. The first took place in the Vatican. But Francis and American bishops also argued that the problem of child sexual abuse is something serious that goes beyond the church, and reaches especially schools and families. The fact that the pope had met with victims of people other than priests underlines this point.

The Vatican spokesman, Federico Lombardi, said the pope met with the victims for half an hour at the seminary San Carlo Borromeo. According to Lombardi, the Pope prayed with the victims, heard their stories and expressed who shared their suffering and he felt "pain and vergnha" in the case of those abused by priests.

"He renewed his commitment and that of the Church in the sense that victims are heard and treated with justice, that the guilty be punished and that the abuse crimes are addressed with effective prevention efforts in the Church and in society," Lombardi said pronouncement. "The pope thanked the victims for their essential contribution to clarify the truth and begin the road to recovery."


The pope's schedule for Sunday includes a visit to a prison and a final Mass in the United States in greater Boulevard Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Organizers expect 1 million people, but there are fears that the security scheme - which includes baggage checks similar to those made at airports, road blockades and fences - divert the public.