On May 1, Cardinal George Pell will know whether he has to stand trial to face allegations of historical sexual offenses or not.

"The pope wants to ask their forgiveness, share his pain and shame for what they have suffered and, above all, listen to all suggestions that can be made to avoid the repetition of such reprehensible acts."

All three were victims of the infamous Chilean priest predator, the Rev. Ferdinando Karadima, who was found guilty of abuse of minors by the Vatican.

Magistrate Belinda Wallington will make her ruling on May 1 on whether Pell will stand trial.

What makes the Barros case so important is that if the pope removes him from office, it will be the first time a Catholic prelate has been explicitly cashiered because he covered up abuse by others.

Pope Francis' letter asked "forgiveness of all those I have offended" and said he hoped to "be able to do it personally in the coming weeks."