WASHINGTON - 16 April 2008 - 240 words
Pope
Benedict expresses shame over paedophile priests
During a meeting with journalists accompanying him on the flight
to the USA yesterday, the Pope answered a number of questions.
Referring to the case of paedophile priests that has affected
the Catholic Church in America, Benedict XVI said: "I am
deeply ashamed. We will do everything possible to ensure it does
not happen again".
"We will rigorously exclude paedophiles from priestly ministry",
he said. "The two things are absolutely incompatible and
someone who is truly guilty of paedophilia cannot be a priest".
"Only healthy people, ... only people with a profound personal
life in Christ and who also have a profound sacramental life can
be admitted to the priesthood ... It is more important to have
good priests than to have many priests". We hope, he insisted,
"to do everything possible in the future to heal this wound".
Going on to speak about his forthcoming visit to UN headquarters,
on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, the Pope said: "It seems important to me that the
foundation of the United Nations should be the idea of human rights,
of rights which express non-negotiable values, which come before
all institutions and are the foundation of all institutions".
"It is important", the Pope went on, "to renew
the awareness that the United Nations, with its peace-bringing
role, can work only if it has a shared basis of values, which
are expressed as 'rights' and must be observed by everyone. To
confirm this fundamental concept and as far as possible bring
it up to date is one aim of my mission".
Asked whether the public recognition of religion in the United
States could be a model for secularised Europe, Benedict XVI recalled
how the U.S. "began with a positive concept of laicism",
but that the laicism of the State existed "precisely for
love of religion in all its authenticity, which can only be lived
in freedom. ... Of course", he concluded, "in Europe
we cannot just copy the United States. We have our own history.
But we must learn from one another".
Keep up with the latest live reports of the Pope's visit to the USA on: uspapalvisit.org
Source: VIS
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