Pope asks for forgiveness over abuse scandals

The Pope begged forgiveness from clerical abuse victims today and promised to “do everything possible” to ensure priests never molest children ever again.

He made the pledge during a Mass in St. Peter’s Square marking the end of the Vatican’s Year of the Priest, a celebration of the priesthood that has been marred by revelations of hundreds of new cases of clerical abuse, cover-up and Vatican inaction to root out paedophiles.

In his homily, the Pope lamented that during what should have been a year of joy for the priesthood the “sins of priests came to light – particularly the abuse of the little ones”.

He said the scandal was a call for purification of the Church.