Pope Francis asked victims of alleged sexual abuse by priests in the Catholic Church to forgive their abusers, the Associated Press reported Friday.

The pope made the plea for pardon during a speech in front of the International Catholic Child Bureau, a French association of children's rights groups. Several of the groups criticized Francis for not doing enough to check bishops who turn a blind eye to sexual abuse, the AP reported.

Francis said he felt "called to take it upon myself" and "ask forgiveness," for the abuse carried out against children.

"The church is aware of this damage," the pope said over Vatican Radio, according to the AP. "We don't want to take a step back in dealing with this problem and the sanctions that must be imposed. On the contrary, I think we must be even stronger. You don't play around with the lives of children."

According to Vatican law, bishops are supposed to be sanctioned for covering up instances of sexual abuse by priests. However, no bishop has yet to be sanctioned for not taking action.

In December 2013, a commission was announced to help Francis tackle sexual abuse in the church, which a United Nations committee said extended across several countries and has been grossly ignored.

The Church "has not acknowledged the extent of the crimes committed, has not taken the necessary measures to address cases of child sexual abuse and to protect children, and has adopted policies and practices which have led to the continuation of the abuse," the UN report from February said.

The commission, half of whom are women, will create statutes and investigate the "legal duties and responsibilities" of church authorities, the AP reported. This suggests that in the future, disciplinary action could be taken against bishops who protect abusers.