Pope arrives in Australia amid calls for apology to victims of clergy abuse

(July 14, 2008) Pope Benedict XVI has raised expectations that he will apologize directly to victims of past clergy sexual abuse while he is in Australia this week for a Roman Catholic gathering of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. The leader of the church told reporters during a 20-hour flight to Australia for a nine-day visit starting Sunday that he would do everything possible to achieve «healing and reconciliation with the victims» of maltreatment by priests. Activists in Australia, who have demanded the pontiff, make a formal apology to victims to help cool the scandal that has dogged the church in recent years, cautiously welcomed his comments. Senior clerics organizing the World Youth Day festival in Sydney this week have avoided using the word «apology» to describe remarks Pope Benedict is expected to make about the problem of clergy abuse, but they have made clear there will be some expression of regret. Pope Benedict touched down Sunday at a military air base on the outskirts of Sydney, where there is a growing buzz about the festival as pilgrims flood into the city for the largest public event since the 2000 Olympic Games. He was greeted on the tarmac by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and other government and church officials. The pontiff was then moved to a retreat in the city where he will stay out of the public eye until Thursday, when he will ride by boat through Sydney harbour to a wharf-side venue and address a large crowd. Aides say that the 81-year-old pontiff is in good health, though his schedule has been arranged to include a few days of rest before attending the World Youth Day events, which start Tuesday. The festival will culminate on July 20 with an open-air papal Mass at a racetrack in Sydney.