Pope Francis asks for forgiveness over priests' sexual abuse

Franco Origlia/Getty Images

Pope Francis asks for forgiveness over priests' sexual abuse
(Image credit: Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

In what is being called the "strongest condemnation yet" of the sexual abuse scandal that rocked the Catholic Church, Pope Francis asked today for forgiveness from victims who were sexually abused by their priests. The pope spoke on Vatican Radio after being criticized for not dedicating attention to the problem, and amid rumblings that he hasn't punished the bishops who covered up abuse claims.

Here's Francis, via CNN:

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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.