Pope Benedict XVI on Friday begged for forgiveness for the paedophile priest scandals rocking the Roman Catholic in his clearest apology yet for the scourge.
At a mass with some 15,000 priests marking the end of the Roman Catholic Church’s Year for priests, the pontiff pledged to “do everything possible” to stop the cases.
“And so it happened that, in this very year of joy for the sacrament of the priesthood, the sins of priests came to light, particularly the abuse of the little ones,” Pope Benedict said in a sun-drenched St. Peter’s Square.
“We ... insistently beg forgiveness from God and from the persons involved, while promising to do everything possible to ensure that such abuse will never occur again,” he said before the white-clad priests from around the world.
“In admitting men to priestly ministry and in their formation we will do everything we can to weigh the authenticity of their vocation and make every effort to accompany priests along their journey,” vowed the 83-year-old Pope Benedict.
The head of a US-based support group for victims of predator priests dismissed what she described as “vague one-sentence pledges” by the Pope, saying “substantive structural and cultural change alters behaviour.”
Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, said in a statement: “Any Church promises of action on abuse and cover-up are inherently problematic because of the Church’s ancient, unhealthy monarchical structure.”
She said the Pope cannot be expected to supervise some 5,000 bishops. Ms Blaine added: “The real solution to the scandal must therefore involve reducing the power of bishops and increasing the power of secular authorities to safeguard children.”