Catholic churches burn in Chile as Pope Francis attempts damage control over sex abuse scandals

Pope Francis attempted to quell anger in Chile on Tuesday as protesters furious about the Catholic Church’s child abuse scandals surrounded – and in some cases even burned – churches across the country.

Francis begged for forgiveness for the “irreparable damage” done to children who were raped and molested by priests, but overnight three more Catholic churches were torched, two in the southern Araucania region where Francis will visit on Wednesday to meet with Chile’s indigenous peoples.

While not causing any injuries, the nine church firebombings in the past few days have marked an unprecedented level of protest against history’s first Latin American pope on his home turf.

In Santiago, though, tens of thousands of jubilant Chileans turned out in droves for his first public Mass, a massive gathering in the capital’s O’Higgins Park where St. John Paul celebrated Mass three decades ago.

Before the service began, Francis took a long, looping ride in his Popemobile through the grounds to greet well-wishers, some of whom had camped out overnight to secure a spot.