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	Pope's 'Shame' over Paedophile Priests By Tim Reid The Times (United Kingdom) April 15, 2008 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3754027.ece Pope Benedict XVI said yesterday that he was "deeply ashamed" over the sexual abuse committed by Catholic priests in the US and vowed to keep paedophiles out of the Church. The Pope, answering questions on board his flight from Rome to Washington, addressed directly one of the toughest issues facing him on his US visit: the wave of sex scandals that first arose in 2002 and which has since forced the country's Roman Catholic Church to pay more than $2 billion (1 billion) in abuse settlements. "It is a great suffering for the Church in the United States and for the Church in general and for me personally that this could happen," the Pope said. "It's difficult for me to understand how it was possible that priests betrayed in this way their mission to give healing, to give the love of God to these children," he said. "I am deeply ashamed and we will do what is possible so this cannot happen again in the future," he added. He promised that the Church would do everything possible to screen candidates for the priesthood "so that only really sound persons can be admitted".
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