The Vatican said on Thursday Pope Francis was on the side of victims of more than 300 "predator" priests in the United States accused of abusing over 1,000 children across seven decades.
"There are two words that can express the feelings faced with these horrible crimes: shame and sorrow," a Vatican statement read.
"Victims should know that the pope is on their side. Those who have suffered are his priority, and the Church wants to listen to them to root out this tragic horror that destroys the lives of the innocent," the Vatican said in a statement after a devastating US grand jury report was published on Tuesday that decried a systematic cover-up by the Catholic Church.