Church will act against sex abuse, Pope promises victims

(April 22, 2010) Recalling a recent meeting with victims of sex abuse by clergy, Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday, reiterated his promise that the church was doing everything it could to end abuse. The Pope made the remarks at the end of his weekly general audience to some 15.000 people in St. Peter’s Square. Speaking in Italian of his trip to Malta last weekend, the Pope said that he met eight men, who had been abused as minors by priests. He said “I shared in their suffering and, with emotion, I prayed with them, assuring action on behalf of the church."
According to a Vatican statement released immediately after the Pope's 20-minute meeting with victims at the Apostolic Nunciature in Rabat, Malta, the Pope was "deeply moved by their stories and expressed his shame and sorrow over what victims and their families have suffered. He prayed with them, and assured them that the church is doing, and will continue to do all in its power to investigate allegations, to bring to justice those responsible for abuse, and to implement effective measures designed to safeguard young people in the future," the statement said.