Word: pope
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...have been the most widespread, and certainly most public, there are, in fact, cases of sex abuse all around the Catholic world - as there are, as the Vatican always points out, in all walks of life. In Australia, victims' rights groups are calling on the Pope to respond as he did in the U.S. This comes as news that the Catholic Church in Australia has been forced to review allegations of sexual assault by a priest committed more than 20 years ago. The Melbourne-based support group Broken Rites says it has been contacted by 3,500 people...
...trip raises a broader question of whether the Pope set a precedent for himself with his forthright response in the U.S., making it a virtual requirement to address the issue in every country that has suffered from abusive priests. In the same way the pontiff traditionally meets with local leaders of other religions, priests, and political representatives, will the faithful expect a private encounter with victims on each new trip? Or was his response in the United States expected to cover the matter for the Pope...
...itinerary for the trip in Australia, which includes a four-day rest period after the Pope's plane touches down Sunday following the long flight, does not indicate whether the issue will be confronted. The Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, has indicated that the Pope will apologize in some way for past abuse...
Though he got high marks for his frank and sensitive response in the U.S., some Vatican officials fear that sex abuse issue could overshadow the original objectives of his travels. The main purpose that the 81-year-old Pope is flying so far to reach a country with some five million Catholics is to preside over World Youth Day in Sydney. Benedict's first trip as Pope three years ago was to attend the same event in Cologne, Germany...
...Pope is expected to address the plight of Australia's Aborigines, which John Paul II eloquently brought up during his visit in 1986. The German pontiff will spend the first four days of his visit resting at a retreat outside of Sydney run by the conservative Catholic group Opus...