Apology a church matter - Rudd
2008-07-17 07:34
Sydney - The Catholic Church should respond to every sex abuse case involving priests, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Thursday as the issue partly overshadowed a visit by Pope Benedict XVI.
But whether the pope should apologise to Australian victims as he did in the United States in April was up to the church, Rudd told Sky News as the pontiff took charge of World Youth Day celebrations here.
The historic apology in the US was "a source of great comfort and healing", the prime minister said, but "this is a matter for the church and I respect the internal judgements of the church".
Rudd told Australian commercial radio later that sex abuse by the clergy was "horrendous" and had caused enormous damage to families and individuals.
"They're just awful, they're horrible facts." he said.
"What I do note also - the church over time has been moving in response to each of these matters as they come into the public domain, and you would say sometimes better than others.
'Prevent, heal and reconcile'
"But it's very important for the church to respond to each individual case."
Pope Benedict indicated to journalists on his plane on the way to Australia on Sunday that he would apologise to Australian victims of sex abuse.
He said he would examine how the church can "prevent, heal and reconcile" the past crimes of the clergy.
"This is the essential content of what we will say as we apologise," the pope said in English.
But a Vatican official late on Wednesday cast doubt over the extent of any apology.
"I draw your attention to the term 'apology' that journalists are using," Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, told reporters.
"The pope in the plane spoke of the problems of sexual abuse but I don't think he said he would apologise and I advise you to listen to what the pope says" when he raises the issue, Lombardi said, without elaborating.
'Disgusting' comments
The issue flared again as the parents of two girl victims of sexual abuse at a Catholic primary school - one who later committed suicide - arrived back in Australia from Britain on Thursday promising to confront the pope over the issue.
The girls' father Anthony Foster said earlier this week he would only accept an apology from the pope if the church begged victims for forgiveness and provided them with full support.
Foster said he hoped the pope would meet him, to hear his demands for the church to adopt a new approach to abuse victims.
After arriving in Melbourne, Foster attacked as "disgusting" comments by World Youth Day co-ordinator Bishop Anthony Fisher on the scandal.
Fisher told a press conference on Wednesday that most people were focusing on the positive aspects of World Youth Day "rather than dwelling crankily as a few people are doing on old wounds".
Foster said the wounds never healed and victims of sexual assault suffered all their life.
"There is no place for his comments and he should be absolutely ashamed of them."