Pope Francis has said he understands why some victims of clerical sex abuse and their families could not forgive the church for the suffering they faced, saying such abuse was “almost a sacrilege”.

In remarks during a 47-minute press conference on his flight back to Rome after a tour of the US, the pope also sought to clarify controversial remarks he made to American bishops, when he congratulated them on their “courageous” handling of the sex abuse crisis.

He said he wanted to “express my compassion to them because a terrible thing happened and many of them have suffered because they did not know and when it came out they suffered a great deal.

“It’s a terrible thing and the words of comfort were not to say: ‘Don’t worry that was nothing’ … no, no, no. But it was so bad that I imagine that you cried hard … that was the sense of what I meant,” he said, according to a transcript.

The pope also suggested a Kentucky clerk’s recent refusal on religious grounds to issue marriage licences to gay couples was a question of religious freedom, saying conscientious objection was a “human right”. Kim Davis’s act of defiance became national news, with some conservatives comparing her act to civil disobedience endorsed by Martin Luther King in the civil rights era.

Asked by a reporter whether he supported government officials who said they could not in good conscience issue same-sex marriage licences, Francis said: “I do not recall all specific cases of conscientious objection. But what I can say, is that conscientious objection is a human right. And if a person does not allow others to be conscientious objectors, then they deny them a right.”

He then made a reference to the Song of Roland, an epic poem that describes the death of Charlemagne’s nephew Roland at the battle of Roncevaux.

“It always moved me when I read, and I read it many times, when the people were all in line and before them was the baptismal font and they had to choose between the baptismal font or the sword. They had to choose. They weren’t permitted conscientious objection. It is a right, and if we want to make peace we have to respect all rights,” he said.

The remarks about conscientious objectors seem to reflect Francis’s views on the importance of religious freedom, rather than gay marriage specifically.

Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis spent five days in jail for rejecting marriage licences for gay couples. Photograph: Chris Tilley/Reuters

The pope did not discuss in detail his views on gay marriage rights while he was in the US, even though it is an important issue for many conservative Catholics. The church is vehemently opposed to same-sex marriage, but Francis only referred obliquely to the issue, saying there were “unprecedented changes” occurring in the family. In discussions about family and church issues, Francis focused most of his comments on the need for the church to reach out and act in kindness and love.

The papal press conference on the return leg of the pope’s historic trip to the US touched on diverse topics, from the pope’s impressions of the country, the migrant crisis in Europe, new rules that simplify marriage annulments, his happiness about the Colombian agreement with Farc, and his hopes to visit and establish relations with China.

But his most expansive remarks were on the topic of abuse. He recalled once meeting an abuse survivor who told him that her mother swore at God when she discovered that her daughter had been abused, and became an atheist.

“I understand that woman,” Francis said. “And God, who is even more good, understands her … I do not judge those who are not able to forgive,” he said.

When asked to turn his focus to the plight of tens of thousands of migrants from Africa and the Middle East who are making their way to Europe for refuge, Francis said it was a crisis that was a long time in the making.

“When I think of Africa – perhaps this is a bit simplistic – I think of it as an exploited continent,” he said. “That is where they went to get slaves from, then they went for its great resources and, now, there are wars, tribal or not. But they have economic interests behind them,” he said.

Francis endorsed greater investment in Africa to spur job growth – a development that he said could have prevented the crisis.

Asked about countries erecting barbed wire fences to keep migrants out, he said: “You know what happens to all walls. All of them. All walls fall. Today, tomorrow or in 100 years, they will fall. It’s not a solution.”

Just days before the start of a special meeting of bishops who are exploring the church’s handling of family issues, Francis said new rules that speed up the Catholic annulment process did not amount to “Catholic divorce”.

While the main focus of the synod – at least in public discussion about it – has focused on the question of whether remarried Catholics could receive communion, Francis said it was “a bit simplistic” to say the only solution was accessing communion.

He said any number of problems faced modern marriage, including whether people were emotionally mature enough for the commitment, and young people who no longer wished to get married.

“Catholic divorce does not exist. Nullity is granted if the union never existed. But if it did, it is indissoluble,” he said.

Francis praised the role of women in the US church – saying that an important US government figure had told him the education he received was thanks to them. But he reiterated his absolute objection to women becoming priests, even though “church women are more important than men, because the church is a woman”.

Asked about the US, the pope said he was surprised by people’s warmth and the different receptions he received in Washington, which was warm but formal; New York, which was overflowing; and Philadelphia, where people were “expressive”.

“Thanks to God it all went well. There were no provocations, no insults, nothing unpleasant happened,” he said.

The challenge for the church there, he said, was to remain “close to the people”, not removed from them.

Asked about the rapturous response he received in the US, where thousands of people greeted and cheered the pontiff and his six-day trip was the subject of wall-to-wall coverage on the cable news networks, the pope indicated such attention was likely to be short-lived.



“How many stars have we seen go out and fall. It is a fleeting thing. Instead, being ‘servant of the servants of God’ does not pass,” he said.