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SYDNEY: Pressure was mounting Thursday on Pope Benedict XVI to
apologize for sexual and physical abuse allegedly committed by
priests in Australia when he visits the country in July.
As victim groups and a Catholic bishop called
for the Pontiff to say sorry for abuse by priests during his visit
to attend World Youth Day in Sydney, the Daily Telegraph newspaper
reported that an apology was being planned.
“Pope Benedict XVI will use his Australian
trip to express his shame and regret over the Church’s
long-running abuse scandal and may also meet the victims,” the
tabloid quoted unnamed Church officials as saying.
The paper said the Vatican would work on the
wording of any apology in the weeks ahead of the Pontiff’s arrival
here on July 13.
The Pope last month issued an historic apology
for sex abuse by predatory clergymen when he visited the United
States.
A senior Australian bishop, Michael Malone, head
of the church in the Maitland-Newcastle area north of Sydney, backed
calls for the Pontiff to say sorry and meet abuse victims during his
Australian trip.
“[He] not only apologized publicly but also
met with a number of victims [in the US],” Malone told the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
-- AFP
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