London: Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday said he was ashamed of the "unspeakable" sexual abuse of children by priests, telling the British faithful during Mass in Westminster Cathedral that he was deeply sorry and hoped the church's humiliation would help victims heal.
Benedict also said he hoped the church would be able to use its contrition to purify itself of the "sins" of its ministers and renew its commitment to educating the young.
Benedict confronted the abuse scandal head-on during his homily, which was broadcast live on British television, a day after six people were arrested in an alleged terrorist plot against him. They remained in custody on Saturday.
The sex abuse scandal has clouded Benedict's four-day visit to this deeply secular nation with a centuries-old history of anti-Catholic sentiment.
Polls have indicated widespread dissatisfaction in Britain with the way Benedict has handled the crisis, with Catholics nearly as critical of him as the rest of the population.
The pontiff issued his comments in the seat of English Catholicism amid speculation that he might meet with British abuse victims, and as abuse survivors and others opposed to his visit prepared a march yesterday afternoon in London's Hyde Park to demand more accountability.
"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.
Purification
He acknowledged the shame and humiliation all the faithful had suffered as a result of the scandal and said he hoped "this chastisement will contribute to the healing of the victims, the purification of the church and the renewal of her age-old commitment to the education and care of young people".
He asked the faithful to show concern for victims and solidarity with priests. Among those in the cathedral were former British prime minister Tony Blair, a recent convert to Catholicism, and his wife, Cherie.
Martin Brown, 34, who was in the crowd outside the cathedral, termed it "a good apology".
"He seemed to really mean it" he was genuinely sorry," Brown said. "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."
On his way to Britain, Benedict acknowledged to reporters that the church had failed to act quickly or decisively enough to stop the abuse and prevent it from recurring. Victim groups have dismissed such comments as hollow, saying they want the church to turn over information about suspected paedophiles in its ranks and take action, not words, to make children safer.
"We don't need a pope who is sad about crimes. We need a pope who will prevent crimes," Peter Isely of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said in a statement after the pontiff's comments. "And his words prevent nothing."
Benedict went ahead with a busy day on , his third in Britain, as six men arrested in an alleged terror attempt against him remained in police custody. Police staged a pre-dawn raid on Friday on a garbage depot and arrested five street cleaners. Another was arrested later.
