Pope meets US victims sexually abused by clergy

Thu Apr 17, 9:05 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday met for the first time with a small group of US victims sexually abused by clergy, but activists called the step "long overdue" and far short of what is required.

"Today at 4:15 pm (2015 GMT), the Holy Father met in the chapel at the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington DC with a small group of persons who were sexually abused by members of the clergy," a statement from the Vatican said.

The group prayed together and the pontiff then listened to the stories of the victims, and "offered them words of encouragement and hope."

"His Holiness assured them of his prayers for their intentions, for their families and for all victims of sexual abuse," the statement said.

The private meeting with five victims lasted 20 to 25 minutes, officials said.

The pope was accompanied by the archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Sean O'Malley, who was given a list of 1,000 victims in the diocese -- where the massive scandal was first reported.

A US group for victims of clerical sexual abuse said the meeting was positive, but said the pope needed to do much more to reform the Church and prevent further abuse.

"This is a small, long-over due step forward on a very long road," the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said in a statement.

"We're confident the meeting was meaningful for the participants and we're grateful that these victims have had the courage to come forward and speak up.

"But fundamentally it won't change things," said the Chicago-based group.

"Kids need action. Catholics deserve action. Action produces reform and reform, real reform, is sorely needed in the church hierarchy," it said.

The US Catholic Church has been rocked by scandal since 2002 when the archbishop of Boston admitted to have protected a priest who had sexually abused young members of his church -- opening a floodgate of thousands of similar abuse cases around the country dating back decades.

Benedict has apologized several times already during his first papal visit to the United States, and on Thursday spoke of the pain of such abuse.

"No words of mine could describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse," he told some 48,000 people gathered for Mass in the new Washington Nationals ballpark.

The abuse has dominated a large part of the pope's visit to the United States, and on the flight from Rome to Washington on Tuesday, Benedict said the sex scandal had made him feel "deeply ashamed."

"Pedophilia is completely incompatible with the practice of ministry. It is better to have good priests rather than have many," he was quoted as saying by Italy's ANSA news agency.

Barbara Dorris, outreach director from SNAP, told AFP the pope should punish cardinals or bishops who molested children or who failed to remove priests known to be molesters.

"We know that there are predators still in the priesthood. We are asking that the pope take action to protect the kids," said Dorris, a survivor of sexual abuse by a priest.

"We're hoping that the pope would discipline at least one cardinal, one bishop for what they've done or what they've failed to do," she said.