Pope Francis has begged forgiveness from the victims of sexual abuse by priests, at his first meeting with the victims since his election. He condemned the Church's complicity" in hiding the abuse and said it must "weep and make reparation" for the "grave crimes" committed by clerics. He met the six victims, two each from Ireland, Britain and Germany. At a press conference ... Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said Pope Francis had spent half an hour with each of the victims who visited him. The Pope said the abuses had been "camouflaged with a complicity that cannot be explained". He added: "I beg your forgiveness, too, for the sins of omission on the part of Church leaders who did not respond adequately." Pope Francis' heartfelt and humble apology on behalf of his church to six European victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clerics may go some way towards meeting criticism by victims' associations in many countries that he had failed to address adequately the scandal that predator priests have caused. Many survivors of abuse by priests are also angry at what they see as the Vatican's failure to punish senior officials who have been accused of covering up scandals.