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	Pope "Must Commit to Ending Abuse" Herald Sun July 14, 2008 http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24015720-5005961,00.html POPE Benedict XVI must commit the church to ending sexual abuse by Catholic clergy and to the better handling of victims' claims when he apologises to Australian victims, a priest says. During his flight to Australia, Pope Benedict indicated he would use his visit to apologise for sexual abuse by priests. "We have to consider what was insufficient in our behaviour and how we can prevent, heal, reconcile," he said aboard the plane before arriving yesterday in Sydney. "This is the essential content of what we will say as we apologise." Jesuit priest and lawyer Father Frank Brennan said the wording and commitment of the apology would be important. "... There has to be the right symbolism, the right feel, and also the right commitment to concerted further action. But I think Benedict as pope has very good form on this in terms of what he did in the United States," Father Brennan said on ABC radio. He said the anticipated apology was welcomed. "I think it highlights two things: one is that when church leaders themselves make mistakes, they should apologise," he said. "The second is that it highlights that there has to be a very firm commitment to proper processes and what we're looking at here are issues not just to do with sexual abuse, but with the transparent exercise of power." Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said the apology would be similar to that delivered during the Pope's April visit to the US, when he said he was "deeply ashamed". "The way in which the Holy Father has already done this in the United States on his visit there, he will express the same kind of sorrow and compassion on his visit here," the Cardinal said on SBS TV. The Broken Rites support group for Australian victims of clergy abuse says it also wants the Pope to acknowledge failures of the church in handling abuse claims. "We want the church also to recognise that there's been a level of abuse from the bishops themselves with the handling of this," Broken Rites spokeswoman Chris McIsaac said on ABC radio. "A lot of victims tell you that they feel re-abused by the church process, by the bishops' reactions to the claims." Meanwhile, the New Zealand Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Trust have called on the Pope to apologise to New Zealanders who suffered sexual abuse from members of the Catholic church when he makes his apology to Australian victims. The 81-year-old will be the focus of Catholicism's week-long World Youth Day event, culminating in a Mass next Sunday. His first official engagements are on Thursday.
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