Pope Francis is heading to Ireland this weekend and among his top itineraries is his meeting with the victims of sex abuse by the Catholic clergy, the Vatican confirmed on Tuesday.
According to a statement given by the Vatican spokesperson Greg Burke, which was later cited over at ABC, details of the pope's meeting with the victims will remain undisclosed unless permitted by the concerned parties.
Burke added that the goal of the pope to meet these people is "to listen." Meanwhile, the head of the Catholic clergy will then proceed to the St. Mary's Cathedral in Dublin by Saturday to offer a prayer for the abuse victims.
An official video message released by the state-owned Vatican News agency further revealed that the pope's Irish visit is also in line with the World Meeting of Families.
In his recorded message, the 81-year-old priest said that he hopes for his visit to become a catalyst for "unity and reconciliation" within the Christendom and that the world will be able to achieve "that lasting peace."
He also expressed his desire to make the occasion as a "source of renewed encouragement for families from all over the world."
After offering his warm greetings to the Irish people, Pope Francis said he is "excited" to set foot once again in Ireland.
The pope, who was known then as Fr. Jorge Bergoglio, visited Dublin between January and March of 1980 to learn the English language.
The Church Amidst Controversies
Pope Francis' visit is just but one of the many efforts exerted by the Catholic Church to renew the trust and faith of its constituents, especially in Ireland, Chile, and the US.
In 2009 in Ireland, a government-sanctioned investigation found out about clerical child abuse cases which linked names of high-ranking Catholic leaders, a report from CNN said.
The Pope, on the other hand, acknowledged "with shame and repentance" on behalf of the Catholic dominion, the sexual abuses committed by the clerics in Pennsylvania, USA.
The Pennsylvania grand jury report, in particular, revealed decades of sexual misconducts done by Catholic priests and the cover-ups by the bishops.
Gruesome details of the cases indicated 300 "predator priests" accused of sexually abusing more than a thousand minor victims.
Targets of these alleged lewd acts spared no one as it includes young boys, girls, and even teenagers.
While the entire Catholic world is excited of the pontiff's official visit, some Irish nationals are taking this opportunity to voice out their discontent on the papacy's lack of action regarding these issues, the Irish Times said.
