Pope Francis has asked for forgiveness for the "evil" damage to children caused by sexual abusers in the clergy.
Pope Francis at the meeting with the International Catholic Child Bureau. Photo: AFP / Osservatore Romano
He said the abuse was a "moral damage carried out by men of the Church" and that "sanctions" would be imposed.
The Vatican Radio website reports the statement was made at a meeting with the International Catholic Child Bureau at the Vatican.
The Pope said he had felt compelled to "personally ask for forgiveness for the damage (some priests) have done for having sexually abused children".
The BBC reports he said that the number of priests who had committed abuses were "quite a few in number", although "obviously not compared to the number of all the priests".
"We will not take one step backward with regards to how we will deal with this problem, and the sanctions that must be imposed," he said, adding: "We have to be even stronger".
In an interview last month, Pope Francis defended the Catholic Church, saying: "No-one else has done more (to tackle child sexual abuse). Yet the Church is the only one to have been attacked."