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Pope Francis disembarks from a plane upon his arrival at Tallinn airport, Estonia, on Tuesday, September 25, 2018. Pope Francis ends his four-day tour in the Baltic countries visiting Estonia. (Andrew Medichini / Associated Press)
TALLINN, Estonia – Latest news of Pope Francis' visit to the Baltic countries (all local times):
12:25
Pope Francis says that it is unfair to apply contemporary moral standards to the history of the Catholic Church in concealing sexual abuse, since everyone has covered the crime in the past.
In comments to reporters returning Tuesday from the Baltic countries, Francis did not excuse the camouflage of the church, which, according to him, testified to the "corruption" that so outraged the faithful.
But the pope said it was unfair to judge concealment with today's standards, in the same way that it is unfair to judge the forced conversion of indigenous peoples during the colonial period or even resort to death penalty in the past. He said that sexual abuse was also hidden at home and elsewhere in society.
Francis says that the church has made great progress after realizing that it was necessary to combat the problem.
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12:05
Pope Francis acknowledges that his historic agreement with China on the appointment of bishops will cause suffering among the Chinese faithful. But he says he takes full responsibility for the deal and that he – and not Beijing – will have the last word on the appointment of new bishops.
Francis provided the first details of the weekend's agreement at a press conference on returning flight from the Baltic states on Tuesday. The agreement aims to end decades of tension over the bishop appointments that had helped divide the Chinese church.
Francis acknowledged that both sides had lost something in the talks, and said that members of the Chinese underground church "will suffer" as a result.
But he said he would eventually name the bishops after a period of "dialogue" with Beijing.
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11:35
Pope Francis acknowledged that the sexual abuse scandals that shake the Catholic Church drive people away and said that the Church must change course if she wants to keep future generations.
Francis spoke directly of the crisis convulsing his papacy on the fourth and final day of his Baltic pilgrimage, which coincided with the publication of a devastating new report on decades of sexual abuse and concealment in Germany.
Francis told a youth rally in largely secular Estonia on Tuesday that he knew that many young people felt that the Church had nothing to offer them and that they simply do not understand their problems today.
He acknowledged their complaints and said, "We must be converted ourselves; we must realize that to stand by you, we must change many situations that ultimately discourage you. "
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9:50
Pope Francis ends his pilgrimage to the Baltic states with a stop in Estonia, often considered one of the least religious countries in the world.
Francis met on Tuesday with President Kersti Kaljulaid upon his arrival in the capital Tallinn. Later, he presided over a youth gathering before celebrating Mass at Tallinn's Freedom Square for a Catholic community of only 6,000 people.
Between two-thirds of the 1.3 million inhabitants of Estonia do not belong to a religion, with the Lutheran and Russian Orthodox churches having the most followers.
Estonia is the last leg of Francis' four-day visit to Lithuania and Latvia. It aims to encourage Christian faith in the Baltic states, which has experienced five decades of state-sponsored religious repression and state-sponsored atheism.
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