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 20 August 2008 20:49 BST

Pope to apologise over Australian priest sex scandal

Sunday, 13 Jul 2008 12:18
The Pope will also speak at a Catholic youth festival during his trip
Pope Benedict XVI will apologise for the actions of priests who sexually abused children in the past on his visit to Australia.

During the trip the pontiff will also make an appearance at the World Youth Day, a Catholic youth festival, which will act as a forum to raise many issues including climate change.

Speaking about his regret at the sex scandal, the pontiff said: "It is essential for the church to reconcile, to prevent, to help and to see guilt in this problem.

"It must be clear that being a real priest is incompatible with this [sexual abuse] because priests are in the service of our Lord," he added.

The Catholic church has been accused by civil society groups of ignoring the actions of paedophilic priests and not taking the issue as seriously as it should.

Pope Benedict will also speak to youth on the issue of climate change during the six-day young people's festival in Sydney.

Speaking earlier on the issue of global warming, he said: "We have to face up to this great challenge and find the ethical capacity to change the situation of the environment for the good."

The 81-year-old pontiff is set to rest for three days at a Catholic retreat during the trip and also had a special bed installed on his plane to help him recover from the journey from Rome to Australia.
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