Pope Francis to meet Irish survivors of clerical abuse

Pope Francis is to meet with Irish survivors of clerical abuse in the Vatican next week — their first such meeting with a pope.

It will be the first time since his election that the Pontiff has met with those who have been abused by priests and religious to hear of their experiences, the Irish Catholic newspaper has reported.

Francis has promised to continue a “zero-tolerance” approach to abuse.

It is understood that a number of Irish survivors will travel for the encounter, which is expected to take place next weekend at the Vatican guesthouse where the Pope has made his home.

They will be accompanied by survivors of clerical abuse from other parts of the world, including Britain, the US, and Poland.

The encounter with the Pope, which Vatican sources say will afford survivors the opportunity to recount their suffering to Francis, will be private.

Survivors will then be able to decide whether or not they want to speak to the media about the papal meeting, with many expected to remain anonymous.

The Vatican sees the Pope’s meeting with survivors as a key opportunity to hear their experiences first-hand and to assure them that the Church is determined to continue to act decisively on the issue.

It is expected that survivors will also impress upon the Pope the importance of punishing bishops and religious superiors who fail to act to protect children or who refuse to implement the Church’s robust child safeguarding standards.

The papal meeting with survivors takes place in the context of the second meeting of the Pontifical Council for the Protection of Minors. The body, which includes Irish survivor and campaigner Marie Collins, is charged with advising Pope Francis on the Church’s continued efforts to ensure that robust guidelines are in place in every part of the world.

Pope Benedict XVI held six meetings with abuse survivors during his papacy: in the US and Australia in 2008; a meeting in Rome with Canadian First Nations victims at Church-run residential schools in 2009; meetings during trips to Malta and Britain in 2010; and another meeting with German survivors during a state visit to the former pontiff’s homeland in 2011.