கத்தோலிக்க சிறுவர்களை கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார்கள் கற்பழித்துக்கொண்டிருப்பதற்கு போப்பாண்டவர் மன்னிப்பு கோரினார்

இல்லை. கத்தோலிக்க சிறுவர்களை கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார்கள் கற்பழித்துக்கொண்டிருப்பதற்கு போப்பாண்டவர் மன்னிப்பு கோரிவேன் என்று உறுதி அளித்தார். அவ்வளவுதான். இன்னும் மன்னிப்பு கோரவில்லை.
ஒருவேளை எல்லா சிறுவர்களையும் கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார்கள் பலாத்காரம் செய்து முடிப்பதற்காக காத்துக்கொண்டிருக்கிறாரோ என்னவோ தெரியவில்லை.

Pope arrives in Australia and pledges to apologise to sexual abuse victims
By Bonnie Malkin in Sydney
Last Updated: 6:42AM BST 14/07/2008
Pope Benedict XVI has arrived in Australia for World Youth Day after pledging to apologise to victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests.
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Pope Benedict XV is greeted by the Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd on arrival in Sydney

Cardinal George Pell and other leading members of the Catholic Church hierarchy welcome the pontiff
The pope arrived in Sydney today to a distinct lack of pomp and ceremony.


He spent just ten minutes greeting Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell and other dignitaries, before being driven to a retreat in Sydney’s northwest.

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He will spend three days at the Opus Dei-run centre recovering from his 20-hour flight from Rome.


The Pontiff will be officially welcomed to Australia on Thursday with a “botorcade” on Sydney Harbour.


Talking to journalists during the Alitalia flight, the pope said he wanted to apologise to victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests “just as I did in the United States”.


He indicated he would also directly address the problem of abuse by Catholic clergy.


“We have to consider what was insufficient in our behaviour and how we can prevent, heal, reconcile”, he said.


“This is the essential content of what we will say as we apologise.”

The pope, 81, also repeated his belief that sexual abuse was “incompatible” with the behaviour required of the clergy, however he did not make clear if he will meet sex abuse victims during his stay in “the great southern land of the Holy Spirit”.

His remarks come days after the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) revealed that Cardinal Pell had allegedly tried to protect a priest who has since been convicted of abusing minors.

Professor Frank Brennan, of the Institute of Legal Studies at the Australian Catholic University, said an apology from the pope would be welcomed.

“It’s good that he is going to repeat those sentiments in Australia as events over recent weeks have highlighted problems in our country which the Catholic Church is still working through,” he told the Sun-Herald newspaper.

The pope also spoke about climate change.


He refused to take sides in the debate about how best to tackle global warming, but reminded Catholics of their role in the protection of the planet.“We have our responsibilities towards creation,” he said

The pope is in Australia for World Youth Day, a celebration of the Catholic faith aimed at young people that is expected to draw more than 100,000 foreign pilgrims to the city and attract crowds of 500,000 to events.


The trip is the most ambitious in terms of both distance and duration that the 81-year pontiff has so far attempted.