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	Pope's Meeting with Victims Fails to Quell Ire By Danny Rose and Nick Ralston Canberra Times July 22, 2008 http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/popes-meeting-with-victims-fails-to-quell-ire/1173478.aspx The Catholic Church has been accused of "hand-picking" four victims of clergy sex abuse for a secretive meeting with the Pope. Pope Benedict XVI met the victims and their supporters after holding a private mass for them at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney early yesterday morning, before he flew out of Australia. The Vatican said the pontiff held the meeting to reiterate his deep concern after his apology to sex abuse victims on Saturday. "He listened to their stories and offered them consolation," the Vatican said in a statement. "Assuring them of his spiritual closeness, he promised to continue to pray for them, their families and all victims." Two of the victims who met the Pope said he had appeared moved during their meetings and shown compassion in the manner of his response. "He listened closely and was moved," they said in a statement. "He was compassionate in his words of consolation to us. "We ask for the understanding of other victims of sexual abuse for our need to maintain privacy." The 30-minute meeting was not made public until after it had occurred, but Sydney Archbishop Cardinal George Pell said it had been weeks in the planning. It was one of the pontiff's last acts before jetting out of Australia at the conclusion of the World Youth Day program. Support group Broken Rites said the meeting was more about managing the media than addressing concerns over the Church's continued handling of child sex abuse by clergy. "I'm afraid that what they've done is selected victims who have agreed with what the Church's policies are," Broken Rites spokeswoman Chris MacIsaac said. "They've not been prepared to face someone who disagrees." Ms MacIsaac said such a meeting only served to show abuse victims that the Church "doesn't understand where they are coming from". "People who have been locked out by the Church in the past continue to be locked out." Cardinal Pell said the two men and two women who met the pontiff had wanted to remain anonymous. They were aged in their 30s and selected by the Church's Professional Standards Office, but Cardinal Pell said he did not know the selection criteria. Asked why the Church had chosen people who were not prepared to speak publicly, Cardinal Pell said, "I'm not sure that was a criterion one way or the other." He then added, "There were no preconditions. "There was an invitation extended through our Professional Standards Office. "I wasn't over the top of those details, I didn't know who they were asking or how they were going about it, but the people who were there were very grateful they were there." Anthony and Christine Foster flew from Britain to Sydney in the hope of meeting the Pope and the Church hierarchy to talk about the rape of their daughters by a Catholic priest. They failed to secure an audience. One of their daughters, Emma, committed suicide this year The other, Katherine, became a heavy drinker and was left disabled when hit by a drunken driver in 1999. Mr Foster said, "They've held us on the end of a line all week knowing that we wanted to have these discussions so we can move the Church forward, and instead they've treated us with the utmost discourtesy."
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