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The Pope also visited a prison on his final day in the US
Pope Francis has met and prayed with a small group of victims of child sexual abuse in the US, saying “God weeps” for their suffering.
Speaking after the meeting, the Pope promised to hold accountable those responsible for the scandal in the Church.
Many abuse survivors are angry at how the Vatican has dealt with allegations.
The Roman Catholic Church in the US has been embroiled in a series of child sex scandals.
US dioceses have made huge compensation payouts to victims.
The Pope met the five victims, all now adults who had suffered sexual abuse as children, on Sunday morning at a seminary in Pennsylvania, his spokesman said.
The group – three women and two men – had been abused by clergy, family members or teachers, Father Federico Lombardi said in a statement.
Each was accompanied by a family member, he added.
The Pope was “overwhelmed with shame that men entrusted with the tender care of children violated these little ones and caused grievous harm,” he told bishops on the final day of his visit to the US.
Preparations are under way in Philadelphia for what promises to be the largest Mass for the Pope during his trip
The Pope listened to the survivors’ stories, prayed with them, and expressed his “pain and shame” in the case of those harmed by clergy or church workers, Fr Lombardi said.
The Pope “renewed his commitment” to ensure that victims are treated with justice, the guilty are punished, and to effective prevention in the Church and in society, the statement said.
In June the Pope approved the creation of a tribunal to hear cases of bishops accused of covering up child abuse by paedophile priests.
Catholics were gathering in Philadelphia on Sunday morning ahead of a Mass later
Last year, the UN strongly criticised the Church for failing to stamp out abuse and for allowing cover-ups.
At the end of a nine-day tour of Cuba and the US, Pope Francis is due to hold an open-air Mass in Philadelphia later on Sunday.
He also met inmates at a prison in the city earlier in the day.
BBC