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	Back in Rome, Pope Takes Hard Stance on Abuse Earth Times June 16, 2010 Back in Rome, pope takes hard stance on abuse Rome - The behaviour that led to the ongoing sex abuse scandal in the Catholic church stems from sins within the church, Pope Benedict XVI said on Sunday in Rome, repeating themes from a recent trip to Portugal. "The only enemy that we must fear and fight is the sin to which even members of the church are not immune," he said in front of thousands of faithful after regular Sunday prayers. The statement echoed those from his recent trip to Portugal, made as he faces pressures to address a series of sexual abuse cases in Catholic-run schools across Ireland, Germany and other parts of Europe. On his trip to Portugal, he referred to the sins against children as coming from within the church. About 150,000 Catholic faithful gathered in Rome Sunday as part of Pope's Day, organized by Italian Catholic organizations to show solidarity with the pope as he addresses the ongoing scandal. Addressing the crowds, which had gathered despite heavy rains, the pope told the gathered that he had been touched by his visit to the Fatima shrine in Portugal and that he was heartened by the turnout at the Sunday event.
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