ROME — Pope Francis launched the second phase of his big Catholic reform project Tuesday by asking forgiveness for a host of sins, reasoning that the church must atone for its transgressions if it wants to re-establish credibility with the faithful.

Fresh off a difficult visit to Belgium, where the church’s clergy sex abuse scandal and its treatment of women troubled the pope at every turn, Francis led top cardinals in apologizing for everything from the destruction of the planet to the discrimination of women and rejection of migrants.

The penitential liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica preceded the official start Wednesday of the synod, a three-week meeting of more than 360 bishops and lay people to discuss the future of the church. The most pressing agenda items include calls for women to have greater decision-making roles in the church.

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The Vatican organized the vigil service as a way to prepare for the synod, on the grounds that naming sins and asking for their forgiveness was a necessary step to begin again.

In one dramatic moment during the service, a man who was sexually violated by a priest as a child, Laurence Gien, told his story to a hushed basilica. He denounced the “veil of secrecy,” and lack of transparency and accountability in the church’s response to abuse, which he said had shaken the faith of millions.

“When an institution as prominent as the Catholic Church fails to protect its most vulnerable members, it sends a message that justice and accountability are negotiable - when in reality, they should be fundamental,” he said.

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PHOTOS: Pope leads top cardinals in atoning for a host of sins ahead of a new phase of reform effort

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