Pope begs forgiveness for ‘scandals’ hitting Rome, Vatican

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis asked forgiveness yesterday for recent scandals that have hit Rome and the Vatican, showing again he doesn’t much care about making waves if it’s for the sake of reassuring his flock.

Francis didn’t cite examples in his off-the-cuff request for pardon at the start of his general audience. It was met with subdued applause afterward. However, the past week has seen its fair share of headline-making news that has involved the church in one way or another.

On the eve of Francis’ big and contentious meeting on family issues, a Vatican monsignor came out as gay and, with his boyfriend by his side, denounced homophobia in the Catholic Church. He was summarily fired from his job in the Vatican’s doctrine office.

A few days later, Rome’s mayor resigned amid scandal of his own doing. But Mayor Ignazio Marino’s downfall followed widespread criticism within the church that the city was ill-prepared to handle the millions of pilgrims expected for Francis’ Jubilee Year of Mercy, which starts in December.