The Amnesty director slammed the speech that he claimed, deflected responsibility for clerical sex abuses.

Colm O'Gorman, a survivor of clerical sex abuse, said that the Pope evaded responsibility for crimes committed.

While the Pontiff, speaking at Dublin Castle, spoke of the "pain and shame" he shared with abuse survivors, Mr O'Gorman said this was not good enough.

Mr O'Gorman said the Pope's acknowledgement of sharing "the pain and shame of the 'Catholic community'... continues to suggest that such shame should be carried by the faithful of the church, by ordinary Catholics."

Mr O'Gorman added: "This seems to me to be a shameful deflection of responsibility on the part of the Pope, and an insult to faithful Catholics who have no reason to feel shame because of the crimes of the Vatican and the institutional church."


The Amnesty director said Pope Francis could've been more direct with an apology to people and children abused by the Catholic church: "The Pope was speaking not to the faithful, it wasn't a sacramental moment it was a State occasion...

"He could have talked to the people of Ireland beyond those who might identify as faithful Catholics; he could have talked to us all in a way that was blunt, that was clear, that was frank, that was human and that was accessible," he finished.