Vatican City: Pope Benedict on Friday begged forgiveness from God and victims of child sexual abuse by priests and promised that the Catholic Church would do everything in its power to ensure that it never happens again.
Benedict made his comments, some of his clearest ever about the scandal that has swept the Church around the world, during a homily in St Peter's Square to conclude the Roman Catholic Church's "Year of the Priest" celebrations.
Speaking to some 15,000 priests, he said the year that was to have celebrated the priesthood had been marred because "the sins of priests came to light, particularly the abuse of the little ones."
He added: "We too insistently beg forgiveness from God and from the persons involved, while promising to do everything possible to ensure that such abuse will never occur again."
The Church has been rocked by fresh revelations of past sexual abuse by priests in a number of places, particularly in the United States and Europe.
The pope himself has come under scrutiny over a case in which a paedophile priest who was to have undergone therapy was instead allowed to resume duties when the pope was archbishop of Munich in his native Germany more than 30 years ago. The Church said a subordinate was responsible for the decision.
More controls for seminarians
In his sermon, the 83-year-old pope, who met abuse victims in the United States, Australia and Malta and has decried "sin within the Church", also promised that the Church would enact stronger controls on choosing men who enter the priesthood.
"In admitting men to priestly ministry and in their formation we will do everything we can to weigh the authenticity of their vocation and make every effort to accompany priests along their journey, so that the Lord will protect them and watch over them in troubled situations and amid life's dangers," he said.
He said the worldwide community of Catholic priests, numbering more than 400,000, should see the sexual abuse scandal and its repercussions as "a summons to purification" for themselves and for the entire Church.
Five bishops in Europe have already resigned. One has admitted sexual abuse, another is under investigation and three have stepped down over their handling of abuse cases.
The abuse scandal has hit Catholic communities in the United States, Ireland, Belgium and Germany particularly hard.
A poll two months ago in Germany showed that a majority of people had lost confidence in the Church and about a quarter of the country's Catholics are considering quitting.
With paedophilia, "the priesthood, whose task is to manifest God's concern for our good, turns into its very opposite," lamented the 83-year-old pope, wearing white and gold vestments.
The pontiff has however repeatedly rejected any reconsideration of the centuries-old rule of celibacy for Catholic priests.
Priestly celibacy is "an act of faith and fidelity" towards God and a way to anticipate on earth the pureness of the afterlife, the pope said at a vigil here on Thursday.
Some senior Catholic prelates and intellectuals have called for a new discussion of the issue when considering the possible causes of the sex abuse scandal.
To mark the end of the Year for Priests, the Italian Church on Tuesday thanked clergy for their dedication while under pressure from "sweeping accusations" of child sex abuse that "have caused bitterness and pain and cast suspicions on everyone."
