VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI broke his recent silence on the clerical-abuse scandal Thursday, complaining that the church was under attack but saying that “we Christians” must repent for sins and recognize mistakes.
The main U.S. victims group immediately dismissed his comments, saying they are meaningless unless Benedict takes concrete steps to safeguard children from pedophile priests.
Benedict made the remarks during an off-the-cuff homily at a Mass at the Vatican for members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission.
“I must say, we Christians, even in recent times, have often avoided the word ‘repent,’ which seemed too tough. But now under attack from the world, which has been telling us about our sins . . . we realize that it’s necessary to repent — in other words, recognize what is wrong in our lives,” he said. “Open ourselves to forgiveness . . . and let ourselves be transformed.”
Victims of clerical abuse have long demanded that Benedict take more responsibility for clerical abuse, charging that the Vatican orchestrated a culture of coverup and secrecy that allowed priests to rape and molest children unchecked for decades. Those demands have intensified in recent weeks as the Vatican and Benedict himself have been accused of negligence in handling some cases in Europe and the U.S.
“Factual disclosures are not ‘attacks’ and ‘penance’ protects no one,” said Mark Serrano, a spokesman for the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, said in a statement.
