By Sean Alfano
New York Daily News
September 18, 2010
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/09/18/2010-09-18_pope_says_hes_sorry_about_unspeakable_sex_abuse_of_children_by_priests_during_ho.html
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| Pope Benedict XVI speaks with young people gathered outside Westminster Cathedral in London. |
Pope Benedict XVI told British parishioners Saturday that he is very sorry for the victims of the "unspeakable" child sex abuse in the Catholic church.
In his homily, the Pope said he hoped the church could move past the "sins" of pedophile priests.
"I express my deep sorrow to the innocent victims of these unspeakable crimes, along with my hope that the power of Christ's grace, his sacrifice of reconciliation, will bring deep healing and peace to their lives," Benedict said.
The Pope is in the middle of his four-day tour of Great Britain.
On Friday, six men were arrested for allegedly plotting an attack on the Pope. Five of the men were street cleaners, police said.
The sex abuse scandal has made the Pope's visit to England, a fiercely secular nation with a history of anti-Catholic feelings, especially contentious. Sex abuse victims opposed the Pope's trip and planned a protest march Saturday in London.
For those who listened to the Pope's apology, reaction was mixed.
"He seemed to really mean it; he was genuinely sorry," Martin Brown told The Associated Press. "It's good he mentioned it and it's good he didn't dwell on it for too long. He got it just about right."
Peter Isely, who is part of the group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, disagreed.
"We don't need a pope who is sad about crimes. We need a pope who will prevent crimes," he said in a statement issued after the Pope's homily. "And his words prevent nothing."
[with reader poll]
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