Pope Francis said he shares the outrage over the failures of church authorities to punish the "repugnant crimes'' of priests who raped and molested children, seeking to respond to a global Catholic outcry over the abuse scandal at the start of his visit to Ireland.
The Pontiff is vowing to end the cover-up of clergy sex abuse
In a speech to Irish government authorities on Saturday, Francis cited measures taken by his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, to respond to the clergy abuse crisis.
But, he provided no new indications that he would take forceful action to hold bishops accountable for protecting children or to sanction them when they fall short.
Francis said: "The failure of ecclesial authorities ... to adequately address these repugnant crimes has rightly given rise to outrage, and remains a source of pain and shame for the Catholic community. I myself share these sentiments.''
Survivors of priestly sex abuse and their supporters are voicing grave disappointment in Pope Francis' speech in Ireland, saying it was a "staggering effort at deflection'' that ignored the Vatican's own role in fueling a culture of coverup for predator priests.
Colm O'Gorman, who is leading a solidarity rally Sunday in Dublin for abuse victims, said Francis' remarks about the shame felt by Catholics were an "insult to faithful Catholics, who have no reason to feel shame because of the crimes of the Vatican and the institutional church.''
Anne Barrett Doyle, co-founder of the online resource Bishop Accountability, said Francis "gave little comfort to heartsick victims'' since he provided no details on how he would end the problem, since he alone can sanction complicit bishops.
A small group of protesters demonstrated against the pope's visit outside Dublin Castle, with one banner reading: "Pedophile supporters go home.''
- With files from The Associated Press