There has been a large groundswell in voices demanding that Pope Francis meet with victims when he visits Ireland next weekend.
Eamon Martin, who is primate of the Catholic Church in Ireland, has told BBC News Northern Ireland that he “expects” the the Pope to meet with victims of abuse at the hands of the church, and “express the grave sorrow of the church.”
The quote was published on Twitter by Callum May, who is a producer for BBC News Northern Ireland.
Survivors groups have been calling on Pope Francis to apologise for decades of abuse scandals that have occurred throughout Ireland’s history.
Ireland's most senior Catholic bishop has told @BBCNewsNI he expects the Pope to meet clergy abuse survivors when he vists next week. Archbishop Eamon Martin said thought Pope Francis would "express the grave sorrow of the church".
— Callum May (@callummay) August 16, 2018
However, the Vatican has not yet confirmed that the Pope will visit with victims and survivors of clerical abuse. The original itinerary published by Archbishop Eamon Martin did not include any mention of a meeting with the survivors of clerical abuse.
Just yesterday, a grand jury report in the US revealed that hundreds of Catholic priests were complicit in the cover-up of clerical abuse in Pennsylvania from as early as 1947.
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