SYDNEY, Australia — Pope Benedict XVI today said 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 … in this country," Benedict said during an address at a Mass in Sydney.
"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," he said.
"Those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice."
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.
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There was no immediate word whether Benedict would meet with victims of clergy abuse, as he did during his trip to the United States in April, when he also expressed his shame for the scandal.
The pontiff is in Australia to lead hundreds of thousands of pilgrims in the church's World Youth Day, a global celebration meant to inspire a new generation of Catholics.
During his appearances in Australia, Benedict has spoken about the need to strengthen traditional Christian values including charity and chastity, and decried the selfishness and greed of today's "cult of material possessions."
In his remarks today, the pope said the scandal of clergy sexual abuse had badly damaged the church.
"These misdeeds, which constitute so grave a betrayal of trust, deserve unequivocal condemnation," he said.
"They have caused great pain."
Benedict will join tens of thousands of young Catholics for a couple of hours today at an open-air vigil at a horse track in Sydney. He will lead a Mass on Sunday before an estimated crowd exceeding 200,000 that will mark the culmination of the World Youth Day festival.
On Friday, Benedict told representatives of Islam and other faiths that they must unite to combat religion's role in "sinister and indiscriminate" violence.
Without mentioning terrorism directly, the pontiff said there are those who are using religion "as a cause of division rather than a force for unity" during a 40-minute exchange with Australian Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist leaders in Sydney.
"In a world threatened by sinister and indiscriminate forms of violence, the unified voice of religious people urges nations and communities to resolve conflicts through peaceful means and with full regard for human dignity," Benedict told the leaders.
The remarks come as the Vatican tries to cool lingering anger among Muslims over a speech Benedict gave in 2006 that appeared to associate Islam with violence. Benedict quickly apologized for the link.
On StarNet: For more coverage of faith and values issues, visit azstarnet.com/faith.
