Pope urges Irish church to make reparations over mass grave

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has urged the Irish church to make reparations for its role in the scandal of a Catholic-run orphanage where a mass grave containing the remains of hundreds of children was discovered.

Francis made the appeal while meeting with Jesuits during his Aug. 25-26 visit to Ireland. A transcript of his remarks was released Thursday by the Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica.

Francis recalled he had met with and received a memo from Ireland’s minister for youth affairs about the grave at the Tuam mother and baby home. The memo called for the church to “accept its responsibilities and make reparation” for its role.

Francis asked the Jesuits “to seek out a cure, reparation, all that is necessary to heal the wounds and give life back to so many people.”