Pope: 'I Made Serious Mistakes In Judgement And Apologize'

Pope Francis has admitted making grave errors regarding the child sex abuse scandal in Chile's Catholic church and says he'll be meeting with victims at the Vatican to apologize to them personally.

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In a letter read by Secretary-General of the Episcopal Conference of Chile Fernando Ramos, the pontiff said: "I have made serious errors of judgment and perception of the situation, especially due to lack of truthful and balanced information.

"I apologize to all those I have offended and I hope to be able to do it personally in the coming weeks, in the meetings I will have."

The pope's admission comes as the months-long investigation into Archbishop Juan Barros, accused of covering up a pedophile ring run by his mentor Fernando Karadima in a Santiago diocese during the 1990s, reaches a conclusion. Karadima was found guilty of molestation by the church in 2011 and expelled. 

The pope was sharply criticised during his February trip to Chile for defending Barros, whom he appointed archbishop of Osorno in southern Chile against the recommendation of local priests.

During his February visit, Pope Francis said: "The day I receive proof against Archbishop Barros, I will speak… There is not one shred of proof against him; it's all slander. Is that clear?"

Shortly after the visit, sources close to the pontiff said that in 2015 he had received a letter handwritten by one of the most outspoken victims, Juan Carlos Cruz, detailing how he and other minors were abused by Karadima. The letter also said that Barros witnessed the abuses and played a major role in their cover-up.

With social and media pressure mounting, the pope then sent Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna to Chile to investigate the claims. Scicluna was later assisted by Spanish priest Jordi Bertomeu, who also interviewed the victims.

Pope Francis announced on Wednesday that he will meet with the 32 Chilean bishops in late May to discuss Father Scicluna's final report and how to proceed. "I plan to call you to Rome to discuss the conclusions of the aforementioned visit and my conclusions," the pope said. This will be the biggest Vatican gathering of bishops to discuss clerical sex abuse to date. The pope is hoping the meeting will bring back "serenity" in the Chilean Church and "repair the scandal as much as possible and re-establish justice."