Pope 'sorry' for abuse

Pope Benedict XVI today said he was "deeply sorry'' for the suffering of people sexually abused by members of the clergy in Australia.

"Here I would like to pause to acknowledge the shame which we have all felt as a result of the sexual abuse of minors by some clergy and religious in this country,'' Pope Benedict said in his homily.

The pontiff then moved from the original text of his homily to make the apology.

"Indeed I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the victims have endured and I assure them that, as their pastor, I too share in their suffering.''

He said such abuses were a source of shame and deserving of condemnation, and that the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

He described the "evil'' acts as a grave betrayal of trust.

"These misdeeds, which constitute so grave a betrayal of trust, deserve unequivocal condemnation.

"They have caused great pain, they have damaged the church's witness.''

The Pope raised the issue before 3400 people invited to attend the consecration of the altar of St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney, where he has been participating in World Youth Day activities.

It had been widely expected the he would make such an apology during his first Australian visit, although the Vatican's head of media earlier this week indicated a Papal apology was not a certainty.

The issue of sex abuse had been prominent in the lead up to the massive Catholic youth festival, with Sydney Archbishop Cardinal George Pell, the leader of the Catholic church in Australia, was forced to defend his handling of a number of historic allegations.

Support groups for victims of church abuse in Australia, whose numbers are not known but who activists say are in the thousands, had demanded the pope make a full and open apology for clergy abuse and do more to prevent future abuse.

The hopes for an apology were boosted after the Pope's visit to the United States in April, where he said he was "deeply ashamed'' of sex abuse committed by clergy and and pledged he would do whatever was possible "so this cannot happen again in the future''.

Father Anthony Robbie, a lecturer in church history and theology, said the Pope went further today than he had in the US.

"I would say it is stronger than the words that he used in the United States,'' he told Sky News.

Today, Pope Benedict said it was time to work together in "combatting this evil''.

"Victims should receive compassion and care, and those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice,'' he said.

"It is an urgent priority to promote a safer and more wholesome environment, especially for young people.

"In these days marked by the celebration of World Youth Day, we are reminded of how precious a treasure has been entrusted to us in our young people, and how great a part of the church's mission in this country has been dedicated to their education and care.

"As the church in Australia continues, in the spirit of the gospel, to address effectively this serious pastoral challenge, I join you in praying that this time of purification will bring about healing, reconciliation and ever-greater fidelity to the moral demands of the gospel.''

Father Brian Lucas, general secretary of the Australian Bishops Conference, said he hoped the Pope's words spurred an ending to the suffering of victims.

"We have to bring this great tragedy to an end. We have to be so conscious of the suffering of so many people and this has been a time of great suffering for those victims,'' he told Sky News.

"And the church, through the person of the Holy Father, in a very unequivocal way this morning has made acknowledgment of that.''

He said the most pressing issue for the church was reform of the manner in which it handled abuse allegations.

Mr Foster blamed his daughter's suicide on the drawn out handling of her abuse claim.

"We've had apologies from Cardinal Pell and other bishops in Australia before,'' Mr Foster said.

"What we haven't had is an unequivocal, unlimited practical response that provides for all the victims for their lifetime.

"The practical response needs to include both financial help ... practical help ... and psychological help for the victims.''

Mr Foster said he was not confident today's papal apology would lead to such a change within the church.

"The Pope does not assert any authority over ... Cardinal Pell, who has introduced very severe limitations to the financial help,'' Mr Foster said.

"We have victims who have their lives destroyed, who are unable to pursue proper compensation.

"In Melbourne, the cardinal limited the compensation to $50,000 yet in our case the church later offered a much greater amount because we were someone who had the ability to negotiate.

"Those who don't have the ability to negotiate fall in the gutter and they are kept there by the church.''

Dr Pell this week defended his actions in relation to the Fosters, saying he had apologised and also offered financial help and counselling, which Emma had availed herself of for 10 years.

On his return to Australia this week, Mr Foster called on the Pope and Cardinal Pell to meet with him and other community groups that support sex abuse victims.

However, today he said there was not much point in the meeting with Cardinal Pell until he dramatically changed his attitude to the handling of abuse claims.

"I will happily meet with him if he wants to talk positively about changing the Melbourne system,'' Mr Foster said.

"I would ideally like to meet with a Pope who would be willing to take on the issue and actually unite the church and their approach to the matter, rather than just direct the individual archdioceses to look after it,'' he said.

Asked if he thought Pope Benedict could do that, he said: "I have great hopes that that is the case.

"If we had a Pope that is not capable of doing that then I fear for the future of the church,'' he said.