Pope Benedict XVI tells bishops to fight sexual abuse

by Dave Keating | April 17, 2008 at 01:33 am

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Pope Benedict XVI has surprised many with his explicit move to address the sex abuse scandals within the Catholic church in the United States. These directives to bishops come shortly after the pope said he was "deeply ashamed" of the sex abuse cases that have surfaced. The new pope seems to be keen to position himself as someone who will deal with the crisis, which has ricked teh church's standing in North America, head on. But will these words be backed up with action?

On a day filled with pageantry and prayer, Pope Benedict XVI focused Wednesday on the sexual-abuse scandal afflicting the Roman Catholic Church, offering an unflinching acknowledgment that the crisis was mishandled by church officials and that victims deserve care and compassion.

The pope, speaking to Catholic bishops at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Roman Catholic church in North America, used some of his strongest language to date to condemn the sexual-abuse scandal and its enduring damage.

He urged the bishops to "strive to eliminate this evil wherever it occurs" and to give priority to care for the victims "of such gravely immoral behavior" by clerics who "betrayed their priestly obligations."

"It is your God-given responsibility as pastors to bind up the wounds caused by every breach of trust, to foster healing, to promote reconciliation and to reach out with loving concern to those so seriously wronged," he said.