Pope vows to help heal wounds of sex abuse scandal
En route to the United States for the first time as pontiff, Benedict XVI says the church is 'deeply ashamed' and 'will absolutely exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry.'
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Embarking on his first voyage to the United States as pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI said that the priesthood was "absolutely incompatible" with the sexual abuse of children and pledged to help heal the wounds that have scarred the Roman Catholic church.
En route for the first visit by a pope since the scandal broke several years ago, Benedict also signaled to reporters that he wanted to discuss immigration issues during his visit this week. The papal party is scheduled to arrive in Washington, D.C., this afternoon where he will be greeted by President Bush at Andrews Air Force Base.
"We are deeply ashamed," the pope said on the airplane of the abuse scandal. "We will do what is possible so this cannot happen again in the future.
"We will do all that is possible to heal this wound," the pope said, adding that he "who is guilty of being a pedophile cannot be a priest. We will absolutely exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry."
The string of child abuse scandals has cost the Roman Catholic Church hundreds of millions of dollars, forced the sale of property and has complicated relations between parishioners and their clergy.
"To repair the damage," Benedict said, "priests and bishops have to be vigilant, use the judicial system, where possible, and better screen applicants to the priesthood.
"It is more important to have good priests than many priests," the pope said.
A Latin American reporter asked the pope about the U.S. church, which is becoming increasingly bilingual and bicultural as the percentage of Latino members increases.
Benedict, who will visit Washington and New York in the trip that ends Sunday, said he will raise immigration issues during his stay. He said he was especially concerned by what he called the grave problem of families that are separated by immigration policies and by border violence.
The German-born Benedict will mark the third anniversary of his election as pope during the trip. He succeeded the popular John Paul II.
The sexual abuse scandal remains a thorny issue. The Roman Catholic Church in the United States has paid more than $2 billion in settlements and legal judgments from the abuse scandal and top prelates have apologized for what Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahony called the terrible sins and crimes committed by the clergy.
