WRAP: Pope, in Portugal to rally young Catholics, says Church needs purification

Record ID: 1736249

  • Title: WRAP: Pope, in Portugal to rally young Catholics, says Church needs purification
  • Date: 2nd August 2023
  • Summary: LISBON, PORTUGAL (AUGUST 2, 2023) (REUTERS) PILGRIMS CHEERING AS POPE FRANCIS CAR DEPARTS YOUNG MEXICAN PILGRIMS CHANTING IN SPANISH (WE ARE THE POPE'S YOUTH) PILGRIMS CHANTING “MEXICO” PILGRIMS CHANTING (Spanish): 'LONG LIVE THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE' (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PILGRIM FROM MEXICO, CARLOS HERNANDEZ, SAYING: “For me, it’s a sign of faith and union where a
  • Embargoed: 16th August 2023 21:00
  • Keywords: pilgrims pope pope francis
  • Location: LISBON, PORTUGAL
  • City: LISBON, PORTUGAL
  • Country: Portugal
  • Topics: Europe,Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA003179502082023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT IS A WRAP AND CONTAINS NO FRESH MATERIAL
    Pope Francis on Wednesday (August 2) said the Catholic Church needs a "humble and ongoing purification" to deal with the "anguished cries" of victims of clerical sexual abuse ahead of an expected meeting with some of them in Portugal later this week.
    Francis was speaking in Lisbon at the start of a five-day visit to the country in which he hopes to energize young Catholics during World Youth Day, the world's largest Catholic festival. The event comes less than six months after a report by a Portuguese commission said at least 4,815 minors were sexually abused by clergy - mostly priests - over seven decades.
    Francis, who is making his first trip since intestinal surgery in June and uses a wheelchair and cane, has enacted numerous changes in the Church since his election in 2013 and has been pushing on with a series of reforms he hopes could leave a lasting legacy.
    But he faces a delicate balance between appealing to more liberal believers and upsetting conservatives by giving women more roles and making the church more welcoming and less judgmental towards some groups, including the LGBT community.
    (Production: Lynné Schoeman)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register