Clergy Abuse, Climate on Pope's Australian Agenda

newsmax.com ^ | July 13, 2008 | staff

[kellynla]

SYDNEY, Australia -- Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Australia on Sunday, saying he wants to use his visit to raise awareness about global warming and address the crisis of clergy sexual abuse.

Benedict suggested to reporters on the flight from the Vatican that he would express regret about abuse by priests, though victims' groups are demanding he go further and make a direct formal apology.

The clergy abuse scandal is a serious note in the pope's 10-day visit to Australia, his first, during which he will join the World Youth Day festival that has attracted more than 200,000 people.

Benedict, 81, flew more than 20 hours from the Vatican to touch down at a military air base on Sydney's outskirts. He waved briefly as he climbed down the plane's stairway and was greeted on the tarmac by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and other church and government officials.

He was driven to a retreat in Sydney where he will stay out of the public eye until the youth festival formally begins Thursday.

During the flight, Benedict told reporters he would work for "healing and reconciliation with the victims" of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy in Australia "just as I did in the United States."

At the start of a U.S. visit earlier this year, Benedict said he was "deeply ashamed" of the abuse scandal and pledged to work to make sure pedophiles do not become priests.

Clergy abuse support groups in Australia have demanded that Benedict apologize during his visit for the abuse they suffered. The exact number of victims of clergy abuse in Australia is not known, though activists say it is in the thousands.

Bernard Barrett, a spokesman for the victims' group Broken Rites, said Benedict's comments did not go far enough.

[kellynla]

ping

[stevem]

Aren’t there any world political leaders beyond Premier Wen who will lead with common sense regarding the global warming illusion.

[shadowgovernment]

If the Pope really thinks we have man made global warming why is he polluting the skies flying half way around the world? looks like Gore's “ do as I say not as I do.”
Stay in Rome, and remove the Homosexuals who pollute the Church might be better use of the Pope's time.
that being said;He has my prayers and best wishes as the Catholic Church has much work to do in the world.

[Telepathic Intruder]

victims' groups are demanding he go further and make a direct formal apology

That will be the blood in the water they're hoping for. The child abuse claims are nowhere near the reality, and no higher than any other institution. Zero tolerance is to be expected of course, but double standards should not be tolerated either. I wonder if mosques are as equally scrutinized, where child abuse there is rampant and ignored rather than hyped.

[steelyourfaith]

 

Beam me to Planet Gore !

[The Great RJ]

Global warming and environmentalism are little more than pagan cults who worship the earth. While the Judeo-Christian view is that God demands we be responsible stewards of His creation, the First Commandment makes it pretty clear that we should nor worship the earth.

[mosesdapoet]

In his annual pre 08 New Years message Pope Benedict had warned politicians of taking an extremist position on global warming as featured and linked in my article posted in http://www.theusmat.com/ . There was very little coverage of that statment. Its not clear if those covering the Pope knew about it or chose not to furthur question him on it which they should of done.

[nmh]

WORLD YOUTH DAY?

rolling my eyes ... .

Maybe we should have WORLD BABY DAY or WORLD ABORTION DAY too?