In Australia, pope says he’s sorry for abuse

Pope Benedict XVI said at a Mass today that he was “deeply sorry” for the sexual abuse of children by Roman Catholic clergy in Australia, describing the offenses as evil and a grave betrayal of trust.

“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,” Benedict said. “I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the victims have endured. I assure them as their pastor that I too share in their suffering.

“Those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice,” he said.

Support groups for victims of clergy abuse in Australia, whose numbers are not known but who activists say are in the thousands, said a papal apology was not enough and demanded that the church end what they say is a continuing cover-up of the scale of the problem.

The groups also want the church to stop fighting compensation claims lodged in civil courts.

“Sorry is not enough. Victims want action, not just words,” the Broken Rites group said in a statement posted on its website.