"You can see the pain in his face, and I felt he was sincere," Bono said of the pope during a meeting at the Vatican.

By Carol Kuruvilla, Huffington Post

U2 musician Bono said he had a hard conversation with Pope Francis about the sexual abuse scandal that has been roiling the Irish singer's homeland.

Francis was "aghast" about sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, Bono told reporters after a private meeting with the pontiff at the Vatican on Wednesday.

"I explained to him how it looks to some people that the abusers are being more protected than the victims," Bono said, according to Reuters.

The singer said Francis appeared deeply troubled by this.

"You can see the pain in his face, and I felt he was sincere," Bono said.

"I think he is an extraordinary man for extraordinary times."

A spokesman for the singer later elaborated that Bono believes Francis is "the leader to put this right and change people's perceptions that the church is doing more to protect the abusers rather than the victims," according to The Irish Times.

Dublin City Council blocks planned centre amid 'serious concerns' over the scheme

Olivia Kelly, The Irish Times

U2's plans for a visitor centre and museum in Dublin's docklands have been sent back to the drawing board by Dublin City Council amid "serious concerns" about the proposed scheme.

The rock band last June announced plans to demolish their two-storey recording studio at Hanover Quay on the south docks and replace it with a visitor and exhibition centre, the equivalent of four storeys in height.

The new building, which would be almost three times the size of the old studio, would house an exhibition centre dedicated to the band's history and a reconstruction of the band's original studio, along with a cafe and shop.

Opening Act(s): None

Setlist:

1. The Blackout
2. Lights of Home
3. I Will Follow
4. Red Flag Day
5. Beautiful Day
6. The Ocean
7. Iris (Hold Me Close)
8. Cedarwood Road
9. Sunday Bloody Sunday
10. Lord of the Flies - Until the End of the World - Introduction
Intermission (Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me)
11. Elevation
12. Vertigo - Rebel Rebel
13. Even Better Than the Real Thing (Fish Out of Water Mix)
14. Hall of Mirrors - Acrobat
15. You're the Best Thing About Me (Acoustic)
16. Summer of Love (Acoustic)
17. Pride (In the Name of Love)
18. Get Out of Your Own Way
19. New Year's Day
20. Ode to Joy - City of Blinding Lights
Encore(s):
21. Women of the World - One
22. Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way
23. 13 (There Is a Light)

Remarks:

U2 stopped in Madrid, Spain tonight for the first of two shows. With another similar setlist, U2 thrilled tens of thousands of U2 fans packed in WiZink Center.