While the Pope made only what might have been a veiled reference to the sex abuse crisis in speaking to reporters on the plane on his way to Malta, talking about the Catholic Church being “wounded by our sins,” he did meet privately with a small group of victims after Sunday Mass.
Ten men claim to have been abused by three priests at a Catholic orphanage in Malta, and eight of them met with the Pope.
A Vatican statement said Benedict prayed with the victims and assured them the Catholic Church is doing all in its power to “bring to justice those responsible for abuse.”
The Pope, who has come under increasing fire in recent weeks as clerical sex abuse cases come to light across Europe –- including several in his native Germany – had already met with victims on trips to both the United States and Australia.
He said in his letter to Irish Catholics in March that he would meet with more victims in the future, and it could become a regular part of his travel schedule. In addition to Malta, four more short trips are planned for the 83-year-old Benedict this year.
While Benedict did not address the abuse question directly on his short visit, the Archbishop of Malta, Paul Cremona, said at the start of Sunday mass with Benedict that the Catholic Church had to be “humble enough to recognize the failures and sins of its members,” and that it should not seek privileges.
Ireland has been the country hardest hit by clerical sex abuse in Europe, and critics claim much of the problem has stemmed from the privileged position the Catholic Church once held there, enabling it many cases to help cover up crimes committed by priests.