"This is the moment of shame," pope says about France abuse report

Pope Francis greets bishops during the weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall, at the Vatican, October 6, 2021. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Francis said on Wednesday he was saddened and ashamed by the Catholic Church's inability to deal with sexual abuse of children in France and that the Church must make itself a "safe home for everyone".

"I would like to express to the victims my sadness, sorrow for the trauma they have suffered and also my shame, our shame, for the church's inability, for too long, to put them at the centre of its concerns," Francis said at his weekly general audience.