Speaking in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday, Pope Francis humbly asked his congregation for forgiveness due to scandals at the Vatican and Rome. The pope's statement seemingly referred to two recent scandals involving men of the church, according to Religion News.
"Today, in the name of the church, I ask you for forgiveness for the scandals that have occurred recently either in Rome or in the Vatican," Pope Francis said. He then continued with his address and did not elaborate further.
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said he was unsure about the specific scandals the pope had in mind. However, Lombardi stated that the statement is a way for the Holy Father to reach out to ordinary people who are "disturbed or pained" by the scandals revolving around the clergymen of the Roman Catholic Church, reports Yahoo! News.
The church has been subject to two prominent scandals during the past two weeks. The first involved Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa, a Polish clergyman who confessed that he has been living with a man for years. After being dismissed by the Vatican, the disgraced Charamsa gave interviews to the media in which he criticized the church's rule on celibacy.
A priest from the Santa Teresa d'Avila parish also became the subject of controversy, after parishioners alleged that he was engaging in illicit activities. Instead of being reprimanded, the clergyman in question was simply assigned to another location, angering the parishioners.
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