Pope slams US on sex abuse

Washington: Pope Benedict has told bishops in the US that the scourge of clergy sex abuse in their country has sometimes been “very badly handled.''

Benedict's comments on Wednesday are being seen as the toughest critique of the US, where he is on a six-day visit.

The pontiff questioned how Catholics could ignore church teaching on sex, exploit or ignore the poor, or adopt positions contradicting ''the right to life of every human being from conception to natural death.''