While during his first trip to the United States, Pope Benedict XVI made a stop in Washington DC where he was at the largest Catholic Church in North America, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. There he would address American Catholic bishops on a number of issues.
One of the major issues would be the sex scandals surrounding the American Catholic clergy. He had called it immoral and disgraceful. Benedict XVI said that many have spoken to him about the betrayal by the hands of the clerics.
After Pope Benedict XVI addressed the clergy, he urged them to repair the damages caused by such scandals. On Thursday, Benedict XVI would talk in private with those who had been victims of such abuse. This is historic on the Vatican’s part as this is the first meeting between a high-level religious figure and those victims. However, those victims would be meeting the Pope, himself.
According to a spokesman for the Vatican, Reverend Federico Lombardi explains that Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston had met about six sex abuse victims for about a good half-hour at least. Individually, those victims would pray with Benedict privately.
The numbers of those who have been victims of sexual abuse by the hands of the Catholic clergy are in the four-figures. Cases of such sexual molestation are not uncommon as it has been going on for over fifty years.
Perhaps the Pope’s address on such an issue of that will start the healing process.
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