| Show I Pope addresses sex abuse scandal Keith B. B Richburg The Washington Post PostOn PostOn PostOn On the third anniversary of his election to the throne of St. St Peter Pope Benedict XVI became the first pontiff to say mass massat at this city's historic St. St Patricks Patrick's Cathedral using the occasion to once again address the child sexual abuse by priests that has dominated much of his US U.S. trip In a homily focusing on the theme of hope Benedict assured the Catholic clergy tarred by the scandal that he remained close to them and said this will be a time of purification for each and every particular Church and religious community and a time for healing I simply wish to assure you dear priests and religious of my spiritual closeness as you strive to respond with Christian hope to the continuing challenges this situation presents the pope said to about worshipers mostly clergy members and some invited dignitaries gathered at the Gothic cathedral To the clergy he added I also encourage you to cooperate with your bishops who continue to work effectively to resolve this issue Benedicts Benedict's first trip to the United States as pope has be been n largely dominated by the sexual abuse scandal which has cost the church some 2 billion in settlements and has created a continuing stain on the American church because of its handling of the complaints Benedict began to focus attention on the issue beginning on his plane ride to Washington and he continued to highlight the scandal by meeting with victims of past abuse More than priests have been accused of sexually abusing some children in the United States in cases going b back ck five decades Hundreds of priests have been removed from their positions and a half dozen dioceses have declared bankruptcy Benedict on this trip has gone much further than his predecessor John Paul II in directly addressing the sex abuse scandal and recognizing the damage done to the Church |
