U2 frontman Bono said
after meeting Pope Francis Wednesday that he had seen the "pain
on the pope's face" about Irish clerical sex abuse cases.
Bono, who was in the Vatican to support the pontifical
foundation Scholas Occurrentes, said "we spoke with the pope
about what is happening in the Church in Ireland.
"I told him about the feeling that the abusers were protected
more than the abused.
"I saw the pain on his face, he seems a sincere man to me".
Bono called Francis "an extraordinary man for extraordinary
times", referring to the anguish in the Church over the sex
abuse scandals worldwide.
The singer also said they had discussed "the future of trade
and how to promote sustainable development".
He cited the 'green' encyclical Laudato si' and described the
pope's approach as "very innovative".
Bono said: "we discussed micro and macro, changes that have
to come at a local level, and how to revise the wild beats that
is capitalism, which is not immoral but amoral, and needs our
commitment".
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