The pope and abuse support groups’s clergy abuse

“Many young people today lack hope. They are perplexed bythe questions
that present themselves ever more urgently in aconfusing world, and
they are often uncertain which way to turnfor answers,” he said.

After a refueling stop in Darwin, he arrived in Sydney,site of the
Roman Catholic Church’s World Day of Youthfestivities. He will rest
for three days in a secludedresidence outside the city before the
official start of hisvisit on Thursday.

Broken Rites, a group which represents abuse victims inAustralia, has
a list of 107 convictions for sexual abuse butsays the real number is
higher and only a handful go to court.

Another main issue during the in-flight news conference wasthe crisis
gripping the Anglican Church, which risks schismover a decision by a
Church synod to ordain women bishops.

“My essential contribution can only be prayer,” he said inresponse to
a question about the current crisis in the70-million-member Anglican
communion, whose mother Church, theChurch of England, split with Rome
in 1534.

“The desire is that schisms and new fractures can beavoided,” he said,
adding that Catholic Church would not”intervene immediately” in their
decisions.

Benedict suggested to reporters on the flight from the Vatican that he
would express regret about abuse by priests, though victims’ groups
are demanding he go further and make a direct formal apology.

Benedict, 81, flew more than 20 hours from the Vatican to touch down
at a military air base on Sydney’s outskirts. He waved briefly as he
climbed down the plane’s stairway and was greeted on the tarmac by
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and other church and government officials.

Clergy abuse support groups in Australia have demanded that Benedict
apologize during his visit for the abuse they suffered. The exact
number of victims of clergy abuse in Australia is not known, though
activists say it is in the thousands.

“He made some general remarks about regret to reporters and that’s
not good enough,” he told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. “We
want action, not words.”

“The pope must apologize for the way his Australian bishops have
covered up sexual abuse, the pope must tell his Australian bishops to
stop blocking victims’ access to justice in the civil law courts,” he
said.

On the plane, Benedict acknowledged the church in the West was “in
crisis” but insisted it was not in decline. “I am an optimist”
about its future, he said.

“We have to give impulse to rediscovering our responsibility and to
finding an ethical way to change our way of life,” he said.
Politicians and experts must be “capable of responding to the great
ecological challenge and to be up to the task of this challenge,” he
added.

Although aides say the pope is in fine health, the Vatican appeared to
be taking no chances to ensure Benedict is fit for World Youth Day,
canceling a weekly public audience last week and most other meetings
so he could rest.

Benedict XVI, 81, is the third pontiff to visit Australia after Pope
John Paul II (1995 and 1986) and Pope Paul VI (1970).

The plane, bearing the Australian flag and the Papal flag, was met by
an official welcoming party, including Cardinal Pell, Prime Minister
Kevin Rudd and NSW Premier Morris Iemma.

Streets around the base were lined with up to 100 cars, as people
hoped for a glimpse of the papal plane as it came in to land.

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The Pope flew out of the steamy Northern Territory capital shortly
after 10.30am (CST) after an 80-minute refuelling stop.

About 50 faithful from local Catholic groups lined the Darwin RAAF
base fence, which borders the Stuart Highway, to welcome the pontiff
at 9.10am (CST) this morning.

“We are the very first in Australia to greet him … and it will
certainly be a privilege for me to say that I welcome him to
Australia.”

“We have to see what was insufficient in our behaviour and how we can
prevent, and heal, reconcile,” he said.

Sydney – Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Sydney on Sunday to preside over
a mammoth meeting of Catholic youngsters from around the world this
week.

Up to 500,000 could be at the closing mass July 20 that ends the
pope’s visit and the World Youth Day celebrations.

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A group of teenage girls from western Sydney resorted to asking film
crews if they could look at news footage because they had given up on
trying to see the Pope in person.

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Pope Benedict XVI arrives at Richmond Airbase and is greeted by Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd and NSW Premier Morris Iemma.Photo: Bob Pearce

Pope Benedict stated categorically the Church’s view that sexual abuse
was “incompatible with what was required of priests” and also
signalled that he would call on young people to apply their
spirituality to find solutions to the crisis of climate change.

He said he accepted that the Catholic Church in Europe faced
difficulties but refused to admit it was in decline, stating that as
God exisits, so religion would always exist and be needed. He said he
was an optimist about its future.

Anthony Jones, who spoke on the ABC’s Lateline program last Monday
about being sexually assaulted by priest Terrence Goodall in 1982,
said there was no point in the Pope apologising.

Chefs had been at work since 3am preparing the papal meals and the
27-strong official “delegazione” were at the ready behind his
holiness. As the Pontiff boarded, Alitalia crew posed for the
traditional shots with the Pope.

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offender had an alibi: familytext/html-
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the pitchtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/world-youth-day
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day/all-set-for-the- resurrection/2008/07/12/1215658193627.htmlAll set
for the Resurrectiontext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news
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hopes/2008/07/12/1215658193624.htmlDivorcing elderly wife ends
priesthood hopestext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/world-
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throng/2008/07/12/1215658209210.htmlTeenager waits three years to join
the papal throngtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/world-
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streets/2008/07/12/1215658209213.html’Positive energy’ rules as 6000
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Times photo by CHRISTINA BAIRD Bishop David Zubik asks those attending
to introduce themselves at the Pittsburgh International Airport Chapel
before a Mass Saturday for people headed to World Youth Day in Sydney,
Australia.

More than 600 Pittsburgh area youths are taking flight for the 23rd
World Youth Day in the land down under.The area’s 616 pilgrims
make up the largest international group, second to the host diocese of
Sydney, attending the five-day Roman Catholic celebration that runs
Tuesday through July 20 in Sydney, Australia.Mary Ann Schweitzer, a
youth minister at SS. Peter and Paul Church in Beaver, said a group of
13 from her church, including six teens ages 14 to 17, are going after
spending two years raising $1,950 per person to attend. This is the
first time most in the group will attend.While most participants are
departing at different times, Schweitzer’s group will fly out at
6 a.m. today and arrive Monday, Schweitzer said.“This pilgrimage
is so special to me because I get to see God in action in all the
young people there, especially our teens,” Schweitzer said.The
celebration will be attended by Pope Benedict XVI, who is expected to
arrive Thursday by boat-a-cade down the Sydney Harbour. A motorcade
will follow in the Popemobile through Sydney’s streets. This
marks the fourth Papal visit to the country.World Youth Day was
initiated in 1984 by Pope John Paul II, who wanted to invite youth
from all over the world to gather and show the universal church
“is larger than just your home parish,” Schweitzer
said.The event has taken place in Rome twice, as well as in the
Philippines, Paris and Denver. The local group is among 500,000 young
people taking the pilgrimage.The opening Mass takes place Tuesday. Big
screens will be operating around the city so that onlookers can view
the big events live.Stations of the Cross, a re-enactment of the last
moments of Jesus’ life, will take place at several venues,
including the famous Sydney Opera House. The week culminates with an
evening vigil with the Pope July 19 sleeping out under the stars at
Randwick Racecourse and Centennial Park, where a Final Mass celebrated
by the Pope will occur on the last day, considered the actual World
Youth Day.This marks the third celebration for Schweitzer, who
attended events in Toronto in 2002 and Germany in 2005. In Toronto,
Schweitzer stood 10 feet away from the late Pope John Paul II as he
went by.“That was very awesome,” she said of the
experience.Schweitzer is hopeful the group may meet Pope Benedict, or
at least a close-up view of him during the event, since fewer people
are expected to attend compared to previous years. If not, she expects
the event still will offer encouragement.“It’s tough to be
a teenager right now. There are so many temptations out there. I hope
this opens their eyes and makes them realize how to really live your
life, I mean truly live your life, according to your faith,”
Schweitzer said.Larissa Theodore can be reached online at ltheodore@
.WHO’S GOING:
Duquesne University.

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The Papal plane sporting Australian and Vatican flags landed at about
3pm at Richmond RAAF Base, where it was met by a a long line of
dignitaries including Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

About half an hour after his arrival, a motorcade including 11 police
motorcycles, two police cars and three buses left carrying the papal
party.

By Jeremy Boren TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, July 13, 2008
Dressed in bright aqua shirt and plaid shorts, Sal Re was looking
forward to a trip that will take him 10,000 miles and set him Down
Under in the middle of winter.
Re is among 616 local pilgrims — the most of any diocese except the
Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney — who will attend World Youth Day 2008
Tuesday to July 20, which is expected to attract more than 225,000.

The local delegation has been leaving in stages, with 20 people
celebrating Mass Saturday with Bishop David Zubik before departing on
an 14-hour fight bound for Sydney. A group of 500 people is expected
to leave this morning, according to officials with the Diocese of
Pittsburgh.

“I’m hoping to meet a lot of different Catholics from all over the
world,” said Steph Gottron, 17, of St. Sebastian.

The Pope is expected to land at Richmond RAAF Base at 3pm. He will
shake hands with dignitaries, including NSW Premier Morris Iemma,
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Transport Minister John Watkins.

His Holiness will descend from the aircraft last, by the front steps
and no speeches or formalities are foreseen.

“We are confident that those that do protest will do so
peacefully and not try to interfere with the smooth running of World
Youth Day.”

“I would like to say again how delighted I am to see so many
strange and different faces here for World Youth Day week,” he
said.

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