Story highlights Apology came during Monday meeting with Rwanda President Paul Kagame

Human rights groups have criticized Catholic Church for silence during Rwanda's 1994 genocide

(CNN) Pope Francis has asked Rwandan President Paul Kagame for forgiveness for the "sins and failings" of the Catholic Church during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

During a meeting with Kagame Monday at the Vatican, the Pope expressed "solidarity with the victims and with those who continue to suffer the consequences of those tragic events," according to a statement from the Vatican

Pope Francis acknowledged that priests, nuns and members of the Catholic church had succumbed to hatred and violence in Rwanda, "betraying their own evangelical mission," the Vatican said.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame meets with Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Rwanda's foreign minister Louise Mushikiwabo, who accompanied President Kagame on the trip, said the meeting was a positive step forward.

"It allows us to build a stronger base for restoring harmony between Rwandans and the Catholic Church," she added in a statement released by the presidency. In November, the Catholic Church in Rwanda apologized for its members' role in the genocide that saw hundreds of thousands of Rwandans killed in 1994.

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