Pope apologizes for sexual abuses in France

Pope Francis expressed "shame" for himself and the Roman Catholic Church for the scale of child sexual abuse within the church in France on Wednesday.

During his weekly general audience at the Vatican, the Pope spoke about a report that estimated some 330,000 French children were abused by clergy and other church authority figures dating back to 1950.

He expressed sadness and pain for the trauma that they suffered and shame over the incapacity of the church for too long to put them at the center of its concerns. The pope also expressed his closeness and paternal support to French priests.