The Latest: Pope thanks those who testified on Chile abuse

Pope Francis leaves St.Peter's Square at the end of his weekly general audience, at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis leaves St.Peter's Square at the end of his weekly general audience, at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Latest on the Vatican’s response to clergy sex abuse in Chile (all times local):

9:05 p.m.

Pope Francis has thanked the 64 people who gave testimony to his envoys about Chile’s sex abuse scandal, as well as the media for its “professionalism” in covering the case.

Francis said he felt “pain and shame” in reading the 2,300-page dossier his envoys prepared after a nearly two-week visit to New York and Chile to take testimony from victims, whom he praised for having had the courage to bare the “wounds of their souls” for the sake of truth.

While church leaders have long blasted the media for exposing pedophiles in their ranks, Francis thanked news organizations for respecting the victims’ confidentiality while “respecting the right of citizens to information.”

In words that laid bare his simmering anger, however, Francis made clear that Chile’s bishops must now work to “re-establish confidence in the church, confidence that was broken by our errors and sins, and heal the wounds that continue to bleed in Chilean society.”

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8:55 p.m.

Pope Francis has thanked the 64 people who gave testimony to his envoys about Chile’s sex abuse scandal, as well as the media for its “professionalism” in covering the case.

Francis said he felt “pain and shame” in reading the 2,300-page dossier his envoys prepared after a nearly two-week visit to New York and Chile to take testimony from victims, whom he praised for having had the courage to bare the “wounds of their souls” for the sake of truth.

While church leaders have long blasted the media for exposing pedophiles in their ranks, Francis thanked news organizations for respecting the victims’ confidentiality while “respecting the right of citizens to information.”

In words that laid bare his simmering anger, though, Francis made clear Chile’s bishops must now work to “re-establish confidence in the church, confidence that was broken by our errors and sins, and heal the wounds that continue to bleed in Chilean society.”

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8:20 p.m.

Pope Francis has admitted he made “grave errors” in judgment in Chile’s sex abuse scandal and invited the abuse victims he had discredited to Rome to beg their forgiveness.

In an extraordinary letter published Wednesday, Francis also summoned Chile’s bishops to the Vatican for an emergency meeting in the coming weeks to discuss the scandal, which has badly tarnished his reputation and that of the Chilean church.

Francis blamed a lack of “true and balanced information” in his missteps in judging Bishop Juan Barros, a protege of Chile’s most notorious predator priest. Francis strongly defended Barros, despite accusations by victims that the Chilean priest witnessed and ignored their abuse.

Francis sent the Vatican’s most respected sex abuse investigator, Archbishop Charles Scicluna, to investigate the scandal. While the pope’s letter doesn’t reveal Scicluna’s conclusions, Francis made clear the bishops needed to “repair the scandal where possible and re-establish justice.”

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6:15 p.m.

Chile’s Catholic Church is bracing for revelations from a letter from Pope Francis to the country’s bishops following a scandal over his strong defense of a bishop accused of witnessing and ignoring sex abuse by Chile’s most notorious predator priest.

Jaime Coiro, spokesman for the Chilean bishops’ conference, said the pope wrote it after receiving a report by Archbishop Charles Scicluna, the Vatican’s longtime sex abuse prosecutor.

Francis sent Scicluna to investigate allegations of sex abuse cover-up by Bishop Juan Barros, a protege of the Rev. Fernando Karadima. The Vatican removed Karadima from ministry for sexually abusing minors.

Scicluna and his colleague, the Rev. Jordi Bertomeu, spent nearly two weeks in Chile and New York earlier this year interviewing Karadima’s victims, who for years have denounced Barros’ silence and were stunned by Francis’ strong defense of him during his January visit to Chile.

Many of Chile’s bishops, and members of Francis’ own sex abuse advisory board, had questioned Barros’ suitability to lead a diocese given claims by Karadima’s victims that Barros stood by and did nothing while Karadima groped them.

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5:35 p.m.

Pope Francis has written a letter to Chile’s bishops following a scandal over his strong defense of a bishop accused of witnessing and ignoring sex abuse by Chile’s most notorious predator priest.

Jaime Coiro, spokesman for the Chilean bishops’ conference, said the letter would be released later Wednesday. In a tweet, Coiro said the pope wrote it after receiving a report by Archbishop Charles Scicluna.

Francis sent Scicluna to investigate allegations of sex abuse cover-up by Bishop Juan Barros, a protege of the Rev. Fernando Karadima, who was removed from ministry by the Vatican for sexually abusing minors.

Scicluna and his colleague, the Rev. Jordi Bertomeu, spent two weeks in Chile and New York interviewing Karadima’s victims, who for years have denounced Barros’ silence and were stunned by Francis’ defense.