Pope Francis apologized on Wednesday for scandals within the church at a general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

“I would like to ask for forgiveness in the name of the church for the scandals that have happened in this last period both in Rome and at the Vatican,” the Pope said, the New York Times reports. “I ask for your forgiveness.”

While it remains unclear what the Pope was referring to — Pope Francis did not clarify what scandals he was apologizing for — the Times cites reports in Italian media that a priest in Rome had sexual relations with men with the knowledge of his bosses. In another recent incident, an Italian priest said in an interview that many child-sexual-abuse victims were at fault for their abuse because they sought affection that priests could not always resist.

[NYT]

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