Archbishop Mario Conti apologises to Scottish Child Abuse inquiry

Archbishop Mario Conti has apologised to the Scottish Child Abuse inquiry for what happened in a home run by nuns.

Archbishop Conti said he was "blindly satisfied" children were being cared for at Nazareth House when he was the Bishop of Aberdeen.

He said his immediate response to allegations that nuns who ran the residential home had abused children was disbelief and shock.

He said he was there to "apologise for what we now know to be truthful".

Archbishop Conti, 84, said he was "deeply ashamed" and expressed his "pain and sorrow" to those who had suffered mistreatment.

And he asked for the forgiveness of survivors if "I was insensitive to their pain".

'Forgive their abusers'

The inquiry was shown a BBC documentary from 1998 focusing on the allegations of survivors who had been at Nazareth House institutions.

Archbishop Conti said he was "horrified" by some of the claims made.

He said: "Clearly all we are doing (in the inquiry) is an attempt to get to the truth and provide an opportunity for some redress at least in terms of saying sorry to those who have had bad experiences.

"I hope they will find it in their hearts to forgive their abusers."

The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, held before Lady Smith in Edinburgh, is looking in detail at historical abuse of children in residential care in Scotland.

The independent inquiry continues.

Lady Smith is chairing the inquiry