Pope Francis says he feels compelled to `` personally ask for forgiveness '' for priest abuse . The Vatican has been rocked by a series of sexual scandals involving priests and nuns in recent years that have led the church to face calls from victims groups worldwide to reform its handling of sex abuse. Pope says the Catholic Church must act strongly because `` you can not interfere with children '' Advocates for victims of sexual abuse say the church has not done enough to protect children .
Pope Francis says he feels compelled to `` personally ask for forgiveness '' for priest abuse . `` We will not take one step backward with regards to how we will deal with this problem '' Pope says the Catholic Church must act strongly because `` you can not interfere with children '' Advocates for victims of sexual abuse say the church has not done enough to protect children .