罗马天主教教宗方济各承认，他在处理智利教职人员性虐待的问题上犯了“严重错误”。教宗方济各在给智利所有主教的信中说，他感到“痛苦和羞耻”。
教宗在梵蒂冈星期三罕见地公布的一封公开信中，召集智利所有的主教几星期后到梵蒂冈参加一次紧急会议，讨论性虐待丑闻。
在这封西班牙语的三页公开信中，罗马天主教宗方济各还邀请他先前曾质疑的受害者前来罗马，他将亲自请求他们的宽恕。
教宗方济各说，由于缺少“真实和全面的信息”，他在处理智利主教巴罗斯的问题上犯了错误。巴罗斯是臭名昭著的性虐儿童的神父卡拉蒂马的门徒。教宗方济各今年1月访问智利期间为巴罗斯主教大力辩护。性虐受害者指称，巴罗斯对卡拉蒂马的性虐行为熟视无睹。
教宗方济各在智利访问期间以及在返回梵蒂冈时在飞机上举行的记者会上都曾一再称，提出指称的受害者是在“诽谤”，要求他们提供“证据”，并表示曾两次拒绝了巴罗斯的辞职。他坚持说：“我深信他的清白。”
梵蒂冈调查性虐最有经验的人之一查尔斯·希克鲁纳红衣主教（Charles Scicluna）访问智利之后，教宗改变了看法。教宗方济各在公开信中没有提及巴罗斯的未来。
Pope Francis has admitted that he made “grave mistakes” in his handling of clergy sexual abuse in Chile, telling the country’s bishops in a letter that he feels “pain and shame”.
In an extraordinary public letter released by the Vatican Wednesday, Francis summoned all of Chile’s bishops to the Vatican for an emergency meeting in the coming weeks to discuss the scandal.
In the three-page letter in Spanish, the head of the Roman Catholic Church also invited the victims he had once doubted to Rome to seek their forgiveness personally.
Francis blamed a lack of “truthful and balanced information” for his failure in judging the case of Bishop Juan Barros, a protege of Chile’s most notorious predator priest, the Rev. Fernando Karadima. Francis strongly defended the bishop during his January visit to Chile despite accusations by victims that Barros had witnessed and ignored their abuse.
In Chile and during an airborne press conference returning to Rome, Francis accused the victims of “calumny” for pressing their case against Barros, demanded they present “proof” of their claims and revealed he had twice rejected Barros’ resignation. “I am convinced he is innocent,” the pope insisted.
The change in the pope’s thinking comes after a visit to Chile by one of the Vatican’s most experienced sexual abuse investigators, Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta. The letter makes no mention of Barros’ future.