Pope: Bishops must be held accountable for abuse

By Frances D'emilio

Published July 7, 2014 8:43pm ET

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Pope: Bishops must be held accountable for abuse — Pope Francis celebrates the Angelus noon prayer from his studio window overlooking St. Peter's square, at the Vatican, Sunday, July 6, 2014. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) | Alessandra Tarantino

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis begged forgiveness Monday in his first meeting with Catholics sexually abused by members of the clergy and went further than any of his predecessors by vowing to hold bishops accountable for their handling of pedophile priests.

Abuse victims and their advocates have long demanded that higher-ups be made to answer for the decades-long cover-ups of rape and molestation of youngsters in a scandal that has rocked the church and dismayed its worldwide flock of 1.2 billion.

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Catholicism Pope Francis Religion Religious Freedom World