Catholic abuse victims want Pope Benedict's apology

Sydney: Victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and brothers in Australia, like Jose Respall who still vividly recalls being fondled at age 11, are calling on Pope Benedict to apologise when he arrives in Sydney on Sunday.

"I was touched in the groin and inside of my thighs," said 45-year-old Respall, recalling how a Marist brother teacher abused him and his classmates in a Sydney school in 1974.

"He was blatantly open, he would tuck your shirt in, in the playground. Everybody knew about what was going on yet nothing was done," Respall said.

Some of his school friends wrote swear words on the inside of their thighs, hoping the brother would be offended and not molest them, Respall added.

"As you go through life you don't want to remember these things. It's an horrific experience to be touched and molested at a very young age," said Respall.

Pope Benedict confronted the issue of sexual abuse in the church during a visit to Washington in April, meeting victims and vowing to keep paedophiles out of the priesthood.

Broken Rites, which represents abuse victims in Australia, has a list of 107 convictions for church abuse, but says the real number of cases is far greater as only a handful go to court.

Broken Rites says the Pope, who will be in Sydney to attend the Catholic Church's World Youth Day from July 15-20, should offer a "proper apology."