LISBON Pope Francis, speaking months after a damning report on sexual abuse in Portugal, on Wednesday said that the Church must submit itself to "humble and ongoing purification" and always listen to victims.
Francis made his remarks at a vespers service at a monastery in the capital of Portugal, where a report by a commission six months ago said at least 4,815 minors were sexually abused by clergy - mostly priests - over seven decades.
Speaking to bishops, priests and religious sisters, Francis spoke of today's "growing detachment from the practice of the faith," saying it had been accentuated by widespread disappointment and anger over the global abuse crisis and other scandals.
Church attendance is down throughout Europe and many Catholics have said they have lost trust in the Church because of the abuse scandals.
In Germany, record numbers have officially un-registered as Catholics, citing the abuse crisis, financial scandals, and what they see as insufficient openness to members of the LGBT community and women.
The crisis "calls us to a humble and ongoing purification, starting with the anguished cry of the victims, who must always be accepted and listened to," Francis said.
The pope is expected to meet privately with abuse victims during his trip, which ends on Sunday.
(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Caterina Demony and Conor Humphries)
